March 24, 2016

ECHA Announces New Approach on Hazard Assessment for Nanoforms

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 23, 2016, a new publication co-authored with the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Joint Research Center (JRC) that illustrates how to use data for different nanoforms within the same substance registration.  According to ECHA, this approach “will form a cornerstone in the future guidance development on hazard assessment for nanoforms” at the European Union (EU) and Organization for Economic...
March 23, 2016

EC Issues Final Report on the Sustainable Use of Biocides

On March 16, 2016, the European Commission (EC) issued its final report on the sustainable use of biocides.  Article 18 of the European Union’s (EU) biocidal products regulation (BPR) directs the EC to issue a report on how the BPR contributes to the sustainable use of biocidal products, and on whether there is a need to introduce additional measures, in particular for professional users, to reduce the risks posed to human health, animal health, and the environment by...
March 18, 2016

EPA’s OPP Releases Guidance Documents Related to Strategic Vision for Adopting 21st Century Science Methodologies

On March 17, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), announced in an open letter to stakeholders, that it has developed new tools to “enhance the quality of its risk assessments and risk management decisions and better ensure protection of human health and the environment from pesticide use.”  These tools have been developed as part of EPA’s efforts to implement OPP’s Strategic Vision for Adopting 21st Century Science...
March 18, 2016

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. Presents On Green Chemistry Issues At Chemical Watch Global Business Summi

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Senior Chemist at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®), made two presentations at the Chemical Watch Global Business Summit held in Brussels, Belgium from February 22-25, 2016. Dr. Engler presented during the "Green (Sustainable) Chemistry: The business and economic case for sustainable chemistry" seminar. His presentations are described below. For a full copy of either of these presentations, please contact Dr. Engler at...
March 18, 2016

ATP3 Workshop “Principles and Processes: Algae Culture Maintenance, Production and Downstream Proce

The spring 2016 Algae Testbed Public-Private Partnership (ATP3) workshop entitled, "Principles and Processes: Algae Culture Maintenance, Production and Downstream Processing" is approaching. The workshop runs May 16-20, 2016, and will be held at the Santa Fe Community College and the Los Alamos National Laboratory's New Mexico Consortium (LANL NMC). The event is limited to 15 people, and will include a tour of the LANL NMC and field training including collecting cultures from ponds...
March 18, 2016

EPA Announces Update Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Guidance Documents For Biofuels

On March 7, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the update of three greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory guidance documents. The documents have new emission factors and guidance on data estimation methods, with specific sections on waste and biomass derived fuels. The updated guidance documents are needed by organizations that must report GHG emissions to EPA and cover direct emissions from stationary combustion sources, direct emissions from mobile combustion sources, and...
March 18, 2016

BETO Allocates $1.9 Million Small Business Vouchers Pilot, Opens Round Two

On March 10, 2016, DOE's BETO announced that $1.9 million has been allocated for biofuel, bioproduct, and biopower projects under its Small Business Vouchers (SBV) Pilot initiative. The grant money is the first of up to $20 million that DOE has agreed to commit to help small businesses receive specialized assistance with their technologies. Under the SBV Pilot, eligible U.S.-owned small businesses with less than 500 employees can request a voucher for use at one...
March 18, 2016

BETO Requests Information On Operational Challenges Of Biorefineries

On March 10, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced a Request for Information (RFI) on integrated biorefinery optimization. The RFI covers information on the technical and financial challenges that biorefineries run into in order to run continuously and reliably. BETO is primarily interested in stakeholder input on systems that use between one and 1,000 dry tonnes per day of...
March 17, 2016

FIFRA SAP To Consider and Review Chlorpyrifos Biomonitoring Data in Three-Day Meeting

On March 8, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice in the Federal Register stating that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) will hold a three-day meeting scheduled for April 19-21, 2016, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT) to consider and review Chlorpyrifos:  Analysis of Biomonitoring Data.  The meeting will be held at EPA’s Conference Center, Lobby Level, One...
March 17, 2016

Biotechnology: Case Studies of Hypothetical, Genetically Engineered Organisms Are Discussed at Seco

On March 9, 2016, the second public meeting on the July 2, 2015, memorandum entitled “Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products,” was convened in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 6 Office in Dallas, Texas.  Representatives from EPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) discussed their current roles and...
March 16, 2016

European Economic and Social Committee Publishes Opinion on Nanotechnology for a Competitive Chemical Industry

The February 24, 2016, Official Journal of the European Union includes the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on “Nanotechnology for a competitive chemical industry.”  The opinion addresses nanotechnology in an innovative Europe; nanotechnology in the chemical industry and medicine; nanotechnology as an economic component; nanotechnology as an environmental component; nanotechnology as an employment/social component; opportunities and risks associated...
March 13, 2016

Ninth Circuit Affirms District Court’s Dismissal in Environmental Justice Case Seeking Judicial Review of EPA’s Decision to Settle CDPR Complaint

On May 11, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an unpublished memorandum decision in an environmental justice case, Garcia v. McCarthy, Case No. 14-15494, that many have been watching closely.  The Ninth Circuit affirmed a decision by the U.S. District Court dismissing the Plaintiffs’ Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.  The District Court case involved an effort by the original complainants (parents of Latino school children) to obtain...
March 11, 2016

EPA Defends Conditional Nanosilver Registration

On March 8, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed its brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit responding to two petitions for review of its conditional registration of a nanosilver pesticide product. NRDC v. EPA, No. 15-72308. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), as well as the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA), filed suit, asking the court to set aside EPA’s final order granting...
March 11, 2016

Bridges To Biofuels: AHB Initiative Supports Education And Opportunities For Hardwood Bioproducts

Advance Hardwood Biofuels Northwest (AHB) is a consortium of Pacific Northwest University and industry partners. AHB's new initiative, led by the University of Washington, supports a sustainable hardwood bioproducts and biofuels industry in the Pacific Northwest with a long-term goal of developing poplar-based biofuels and high value chemicals. Ken Zarker and Northwest Green Chemistry (NGC), a Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) member, have been working with the group...
March 11, 2016

OSHA Fines The Renewable Energy Group Over Hydrogen Gas Explosion

On March 3, 2016, The Advocate reported that the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined a biodiesel plant run by The Renewable Energy Group (REG) $70,000 over a September 3, 2015, hydrogen gas explosion. The explosion injured four workers and resulted in three willful safety violations from OSHA. According to The Advocate, OSHA's citation stated that REG failed "to ensure a hazardous and flammable chemical was no longer in a plant pipeline that...
March 11, 2016

DOE Announces Dates Of Bioenergy 2016: Mobilizing The Bioeconomy Through Innovation Conference

On March 7, 2016, DOE's BETO sent out a save the date for the upcoming Bioenergy 2016: Mobilizing the Bioeconomy through Innovation conference. The ninth annual conference is co-hosted by the Clean Energy Research & Education Foundation (CEREF) and will focus on future feedstock opportunities and technology innovations in pursuit of a stronger bioeconomy. The event will take place on July 12-14, 2016, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. For more...
March 11, 2016

DOE Extends Biofuel And Bioproduct Facilities Request For Information Deadline

DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) has announced the extension of the response deadline for a request for information (RFI) about public and private sector capabilities in pilot scale verification of biofuels and bioproducts processes. The RFI, originally posted on February 12, 2016, with a due date of March 4, 2016, requests information on facilities that have the "capability to perform process verifications for biomass conversion pathways to biofuels, bioproducts, or...
March 11, 2016

Bioenergy Research Centers Reach 500th Invention Milestone

On March 3, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Research Centers (BRC) announced the 500th invention disclosure since 2007. The BRCs, which consist of the BioEnergy Science Center (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University), and the Joint BioEnergy Institute (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), work to develop advanced biofuels technologies to bring to the marketplace. Created in...
March 11, 2016

EPA Small Business Innovation Research Program Provides Eight $300,000 Contracts

On February 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced eight small business contracts through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The eight Phase II contracts provide the companies with $300,000 each to develop and commercialize innovative products that address environmental and public health issues. Phase II funding is typically made available to companies that have already been granted Phase I funding through the SBIR Program. This round of funding...