On October 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is requesting comments on a proposal to revoke all tolerances for the insecticide chlorpyrifos. EPA issued this proposal in response to an August 10, 2015, writ of mandamus by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The court granted this unusual relief in response to a 2007 administrative petition to cancel chlorpyrifos registrations or to revoke chlorpyrifos tolerances by the...
July 6, 2016
CRS Prepares “Policy Primer” on Nanotechnology
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) prepared a June 28, 2016, report, Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer. The report provides an overview of federal research and development (R&D) in nanotechnology, U.S. competitiveness in the field, environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns, nanomanufacturing, and public understanding of and attitudes toward nanotechnology. According to the report, while more than 60 nations established similar programs after the launch of the National...
July 1, 2016
IRSST Studies Efficacy of N95 Respirators in Conditions Representative of Human Breathing
On June 28, 2016, Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) issued a press release announcing the availability of a study on “Efficiency Evaluation of N95 FFRs under Cyclic and Constant Flows.” Researchers tested the efficacy of N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) in conditions of constant and cyclical air flow, simulating human breathing, from 42 to 360 liters per minute. According to the press release, N95 respirators “are the personal...
On June 20, 2016, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a scientific opinion entitled “Priority topics for the development of risk assessment guidance by EFSA’s Scientific Committee in 2016-2018.” EFSA asked its Scientific Committee to review its cross-cutting guidance for scientific assessments to identify gaps requiring either new or revised guidance. The Scientific Committee identified topics to be included in its 2016-2018 work program without...
July 1, 2016
EPA Launches Q&A Webpage Regarding Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act
On June 22, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled out its new Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act Frequent Questions webpage. This webpage will be a resource for Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform-related updates and implementation plans. EPA has also posted a summary of key provisions, its six essential principles for reform of chemicals management legislation, the presentation from its informational webinar on June 30,...
On June 30, 2016, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EDT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted an informational webinar on the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, Public Law No. 114-182. A link to the presentation is available online. The topics from the webinar included: More information concerning EPA’s implementation of the Act is available on EPA’s website....
July 1, 2016
Agenda Of Biotechnology For Clean Vehicles Session Released; Includes Synthetic Biotechnology, Advan
On June 22, 2016, DOE released the detailed agenda for the Biotechnology for Clean Vehicles: Harnessing Synthetic Biology To Enable Next-Generation Biomaterials And Biofuels session at the Sustainable Transportation Summit. The session is hosted by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and will focus on how novel biomaterials and renewable fuels can be used to improve vehicle efficiency and sustainability. The session will also discus the role of synthetic biology in...
On June 21, 2016, DOE announced an upcoming deadline for comments to the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) – An Integrated Study of the Electricity System. QER was created via a Presidential Memorandum in January of 2014 to enable the federal government to translate policy goals into analysis-based actions. The QER Task Force is now asking for all energy stakeholders to comment with ideas and advice for the future of the U.S. electricity system. Public comments...
On June 21, 2016, DOE announced the 23 projects that were selected for Phase II funding through the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program. Each SBIR award is for $1 million over the next two years, and helps small businesses advance concepts that improve manufacturing processes, boost efficiency of buildings, increase transportation sustainability, and generate renewable electricity. Phase II winners include: Forest Concepts, LLC, for a low energy rotary shear for sub-millimeter...
On June 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requested proposals for “Reducing EMbodied energy And Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) in Materials Manufacturing.” This funding opportunity is for the development of technologies that reduce life-cycle energy consumption and carbon emissions associated with the production and processing of industrial-scale materials. Up to $70 million is available through REMADE through 2020 with key focus areas including, but not limited to:...
July 1, 2016
Bill Increasing Biogas Technologies Eligible For Energy Tax Credit Introduced To The House
On June 15, 2016, H.R. 5489, Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016, was introduced to the House Ways and Means Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. The bill would add additional biogas applications to the list of technologies that qualify for the federal Section 45 energy investment tax credit, increasing acceptable biogas technologies from only biogas-based electricity projects to "qualified biogas property" defined as: property comprising a system which–...
If you are having trouble understanding basic process flows under the new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), please reference Dr. Richard A. Denison’s flow charts that depict the basic processes applicable to existing chemicals already in commerce, and applicable to new chemicals prior to market entry. Comparisons are shown between the processes under the old and new TSCA. Dr. Denison is a Lead Senior Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). There are three...
On June 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted an Implementation Plan that outlines EPA’s plans for early activities and actions under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, legislation that significantly amends many of the provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The amended TSCA has been identified as Public Law Number (Pub. L. No.) 114-182. EPA notes that the new law imposes new responsibilities on EPA,...
On July 26, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice in the Federal Register soliciting a second round of comments on the burdens and value of information it periodically collects addressing significant new use rules (SNUR) for existing chemicals. Specifically, EPA submitted a request to renew the approval of an existing information collection request (ICR), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 5(a)(2) SNURs for Existing Chemicals, to...
June 24, 2016
NIOSH Publishes PPOP on Nanotechnology Research Center
On June 15, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a number of Program Performance One-Pagers (PPOP), including a May 2016 PPOP on the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). The PPOP states that the NTRC focuses on increasing understanding of hazards and related health risks to workers who make and use nanomaterials and preventing occupational exposures to nanomaterials. The PPOP includes the following future NIOSH actions:...
June 24, 2016
DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Publishes Report Finding Bioenergy Crops Are Not A Risk To Food
On June 14, 2016, DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), through UT-Battelle, LLC, published a report determining that bioenergy crops do not impact food security. The report, "Reconciling food security and bioenergy: priorities for action," was put together by experts from ten institutions, including ORNL, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the World Bank, and Imperial College London. The report determined that previous studies finding bioenergy crops to blame...
June 24, 2016
California Department Of Toxic Substances Control Announces New Members Of Green Ribbon Science Pane
On June 15, 2016, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced three new members of the Green Ribbon Science Panel (GRSP). The new members are Jack Linard, Ph.D., Personal Care Regulatory Affairs Team for Unilever North America; Elaine Cohen Hubal, Ph.D., Deputy National Program Director for EPA's Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS) Research Program; and Mark Nicas, Ph.D., MPH, CIH, Associate Adjunct Professor Emeritus for the University of California,...
On June 17, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an open teleconference of the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) in the Federal Register. STEAB advises DOE and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on the operation of its energy efficiency programs, renewable energy programs, and grant programs for research and deployment in energy efficiency and renewable energy fields. The tentative agenda includes: "Receive STEAB Task Force updates on action items...
June 24, 2016
President Obama Signs Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety For The 21st Century Act Reforming The Tox
On June 22, 2016, President Obama signed H.R. 2576, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg) during a signing ceremony. Lautenberg represents years of negotiation and is a towering achievement to enhance the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to review industrial and consumer chemicals and provide the public with confidence that chemical products do not pose unreasonable risks. Of particular interest to biobased chemical manufacturers...
The May 2016 issue of NIOSH Research Rounds includes an item entitled “Research Explores Workplace Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes.” The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) summarizes the following two published papers by NIOSH investigators with partners at Kazan State Medical University, in Kazan, Russia, that explore whether workplace exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes could pose a risk for lung disease. For both studies, participants...