February 7, 2025

OECD Tour de Table Includes Information on U.S. Developments on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials between July 2023 and June 2024 — Tour de Table (Tour de Table). The Tour de Table lists U.S. developments on the human health and environmental safety of nanomaterials. Risk assessment decisions, including the type of nanomaterials assessed, testing recommended, and outcomes of the assessment include: The Tour de...
February 7, 2025

EPA Postpones Addition of Nine PFAS to Toxics Release Inventory for Reporting Year 2025

On February 5, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delayed until March 21, 2025, the effective date of a January 2025 rule adding nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the list of chemicals subject to toxic chemical release reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA). 90 Fed. Reg. 9010. As reported in our January 13, 2025, blog item, the January rule updates the regulations...
February 7, 2025

EPA Administrator Zeldin Announces Five Pillar Initiative to Guide EPA; What Does It Mean for OCSPP?

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on February 4, 2025, announced the “Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative” (PGAC Initiative). It consists of five pillars and is intended to serve as a roadmap to guide EPA’s actions under Administrator Zeldin. The five pillars are:  Administrator Zeldin explained Pillar 3 by stating, “Any business that wants to invest in America should be able to do so without having to face years-long, uncertain, and...
February 6, 2025

EPA Releases Third Triennial Report to Congress on Biofuels and the Environment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 21, 2025, the availability of a final document entitled “Biofuels and the Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress” (Third Report). 90 Fed. Reg. 7135. The document was prepared by EPA’s Offices of Research and Development (ORD) and Air and Radiation (OAR), in consultation with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE). The Third Report builds on the first and second triennial reports, released in...
February 5, 2025

Biden USDA Issues Technical Guidelines for Climate-Smart Agriculture Crops Used as Biofuel Feedstocks

On January 17, 2025, the Biden U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an interim final rule with a request for comment that establishes technical guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with agricultural production of biofuel feedstock commodity crops grown in the United States in the context of environmental service markets. 90 Fed. Reg. 5497. The rule establishes guidelines for the reporting and verification of practices and...
February 4, 2025

MPCA Recommends Exempting until 2032 Intentionally Added PFAS in Electronic or Other Internal Components within the 11 Product Categories Prohibiting PFAS in 2025

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has posted a January 2025 report to the legislature regarding recommendations for products containing lead, cadmium, and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). During the previous legislative session, the legislature directed MPCA to support a report by January 31, 2025, with legislative recommendations related to the following chemicals and products: The MPCA report recommends that the legislature grant an exemption until 2032 for the...
February 3, 2025

House Committee Will Hold Hearing on “The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensuring U.S. Global Leadership”

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing on February 5, 2025, on “The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensuring U.S. Global Leadership.” According to the Hearing Charter, the purpose of the hearing is “to assess the current condition of the United States’s science and technology enterprise and its vital role in the global innovation race.” By examining public and private investments in the United States, the Committee will also...
February 3, 2025

EPA Extends Comment Period on Draft TSCA Risk Evaluation for 1,3-Butadiene

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 31, 2025, that it is extending the public comment period on the draft risk evaluation for 1,3-butadiene under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 90 Fed. Reg. 8798. Comments that were due February 3, 2025, are now due March 5, 2025. EPA states in its announcement that to give the peer reviewers on the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) time to review any additional comments...
February 3, 2025

Deadline for Filing Annual Pesticide Production Reports — March 1, 2025

The March 1, 2025, deadline for all establishments, foreign and domestic, that produce pesticides, devices, or active ingredients to file their annual production for the 2024 reporting year is fast approaching. Pursuant to Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 7(c)(1) (7 U.S.C. § 136e(c)(1)), “Any producer operating an establishment registered under [Section 7] shall inform the Administrator within 30 days after it is registered of the types and amounts of...
January 31, 2025

EC Launches Biotech and Biomanufacturing Hub to Support Innovative Companies

The European Commission (EC) announced on January 29, 2025, that it launched a Biotech and Biomanufacturing Hub to support companies — particularly start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) — in bringing innovative products to the European Union (EU) market and increase their competitiveness. According to the EC, the Hub will also help companies identify available support at the EU level and how to access this support to help them expand and grow. The EC...