By Lynn L. Bergeson DOE has announced that the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC) will host digital public meetings on October 22 and 23, 2020, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. (EDT). BERAC provides advice to DOE’s Director of the Office of Science on scientific and technical issues that arise in the development and implementation of the Biological and Environmental Research Program. Tentative agenda topics published in the Federal Register notice include: BERAC...
October 2, 2020
USDA Announces Funding Through The Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, And Biobased Product Manufacturi
By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 21, 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business-Cooperative Service announced that it is soliciting applications for funds available under the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program (the Program) to provide guaranteed loans to fund the construction, development, and retrofitting of commercial-scale biorefineries and of biobased product manufacturing facilities. Biorefineries applying must use...
October 2, 2020
House Passes Clean Economy Jobs And Innovation Act
By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 23, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives agreed by a record vote of 229-187 to the passing of a bill titled “Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act.” The bill aims to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy to address climate change. The Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act creates R&D programs to reduce fossil fuel production through various energy sources. It also incentivizes innovation through grant programs in energy...
October 2, 2020
EPA Extends Public Comment Period On ICR On Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Wasted Food
By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 29, 2020, EPA announced that it has submitted for review and approval an information collection request (ICR) on Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Wasted Food to Support EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program and Sustainable Management of Food Efforts to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). EPA’s Federal Register notice proposes the renewal of a previous ICR, which is currently approved through September 30, 2020. EPA had...
October 2, 2020
DOE, DOC, DoD, And Department Of State Announce FCAB
By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 10, 2020, DOE, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the U.S. Department of State announced the launch of the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries (FCAB). FCAB was formed to accelerate the development of a secure, robust, domestic industrial base for advanced batteries. It provides a framework for cooperation and coordination among federal agencies that have a stake in developing such battery technology and...
October 2, 2020
DOE SBIR/STTR Programs Office Invites Researchers To Participate In December Workshop
By Lynn L. Bergeson In early September, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs Office announced that from December 14 to 17, 2020, the Brookhaven National Laboratory will host a virtual workshop for industry researchers to showcase the capabilities and expertise available at DOE’s Office of Science User Facilities. Designed to benefit researchers who have either previously used the Brookhaven...
October 1, 2020
EPA States TSCA Section 21 Petition for Risk Management Rule Not Valid, Treats It as an APA Petition
In a letter dated July 28, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acknowledged the receipt of a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 21 petition requesting EPA to “initiate a proceeding for the issuance of a risk management procedural rule under TSCA section 6” submitted on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Coatings Association, the National Association of Home Builders, the Toy Association, and the U.S. Chamber of...
October 1, 2020
EPA OIG Finds TSCA Service Fee Fund Financial Statements to Be “Fairly Presented and Free of Material Misstatement”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published on September 30, 2020, its audit of EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Service Fee Fund financial statements for the period from Inception (June 22, 2016) through September 30, 2018. The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act) requires EPA to prepare and OIG to audit the TSCA Service Fee Fund financial statements each year. OIG states that its...
This week's All Things Chemical™ Podcast will be of interest to readers of the Pesticide Law & Policy Blog®. A brief description of the episode written by Lynn L. Bergeson is below. This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. As a former Assistant Administrator in what is now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim has a...
September 29, 2020
EAASM Report on Patient Safety and Nanomedicines Calls for Centralized Regulatory Procedure
On September 17, 2020, the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) announced the availability of a report entitled Patient Safety and Nanomedicines: The need for a centralised regulatory procedure. According to EAASM, “[n]anomedicines and their follow-on products, also referred to as nanosimilars, are complex molecules and so regulatory oversight must be scientifically fit for purpose.” The report makes three key recommendations intended to...