Blogs

There is still no definitive answer as to whether the green/sustainable chemistry provisions in S. 697, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, will survive the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives conference committee process as lawmakers confer and prepare the final compromise legislation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform bill.  Passed by the Senate on December 17, 2015, S.697 includes sustainable chemistry provisions in Section 27 entitled...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published on January 11, 2016, the Scientific Network for Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed (Nano Network) annual report for 2015.  The report states that, during 2015, the Nano Network followed-up on its four priority topics:  (1) the need for an inventory of nanomaterials in products on the market; (2) the analysis and monitoring of products under development and on the market; (3) the need for suitable measuring...

On January 12, 2016, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Danish EPA) posted a report entitled Assessment of the administrative burdens on businesses with a reporting obligation to the Danish Nanoproductregister.  Danish EPA estimated the administrative burden of businesses reporting to the Danish nano product register using the standard cost method.  According to Danish EPA, interviews with companies and industry associations contributed to estimates for the measurement of...

In December 2015, the proceedings from the March 12-13, 2015, U.S.-European Union (EU) joint workshop on “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts” were posted online.  The workshop was sponsored by the European Commission (EC) and the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).  It brought together European and American scientists engaged in nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research to identify areas of shared nanoEHS interest and mechanisms for...

On January 21, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the availability of a draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin:  Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials.  The draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) includes a review and assessment of the currently available scientific literature on the toxicological effects of exposure to silver nanoparticles in experimental animal and cellular systems, and on the...

On January 19, 2016, Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. (Elevance), a Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) member, announced the successful scale-up of a second-generation biorefinery technology of the Company's olefin metathesis technology, utilizing ethylene and natural oil feedstocks. Elevance collaborated with Versalis, XiMo AG, and Soneas to reach this milestone in the development of second-generation metathesis technology. "This significant accomplishment...

On January 14, 2016, a report titled "Biobased Chemicals: The Iowa Opportunity" was released by Iowa's Cultivation Corridor and the Iowa Biotechnology Association at the Iowa Statehouse. This report is based on research by Iowa State University professors and outlines opportunities for Iowa to capitalize on bioprocessing developments in the United States. While Iowa has the advantage of a strong biofuel industry, there is still a need for the Iowa legislature to address the needs...

On January 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $15 million in funding for the development of algal biofuel intermediate technologies. Technology applicants should be likely to produce 3,700 gallons of algal biofuel intermediate per acre per year on an annualized average basis in an outdoor test environment by 2020. Applicants should also address a topic area within the priority areas of strain/productivity improvement; improvements in pre-processing technologies...

On January 20, 2016, U.S. Navy (Navy) Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack launched a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) of ships running up to 50 percent biofuels as part of the "Great Green Fleet" (GGF) initiative. For now, the majority of the ships will run on a mix of 90 percent petroleum and 10 percent biofuels, partially due to the low price of oil as well as a law...

The Society for the Study of New and Emerging Technologies (S.NET), an international association promoting intellectual exchange and critical inquiry about the advancement of new and emerging technologies in society, has launched a new website and twitter account. S.NET represents diverse communities, disciplines, viewpoints, and methodologies in the social sciences and humanities. It also welcomes contributions from scientists and engineers that advance the critical reflection of nanoscience...

On January 6, 2016, the European Union (EU) published its Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/9 regarding the joint submission of data and data sharing under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) in the Official Journal of the European Union.  The European Commission (EC) Competent Authorities for REACH and CLP (CARACAL) has been developing this Regulation to clarify further what is meant by determining data sharing in a “fair,...

On January 5, 2016, the American Petroleum Institute (API) released its annual State of American Energy 2016 report while emphasizing a need to either amend or repeal EPA’s RFS and a need to promote energy infrastructure development.  Jack Gerard, API President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), spoke at API’s Sixth Annual State of American Energy event stating the RFS is a “relic of our nation's era of energy dependency that poses a direct threat to...

On January 8, 2016, seven biofuel and agriculture groups requested the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for 2014, 2015, and 2016.  The Petition was filed by Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Americans for Clean Energy, American Coalition for Ethanol, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, and the Renewable Fuels Association.  The groups intend to challenge the authority of EPA to set...

On January 11, 2016, EPA published a Proposed Rule in the Federal Register proposing to establish Minor New Source Review permitting requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to disapprove severable portions of the State Implementation Plans (SIP) for Arkansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.  The Minor New Source Review permitting requirements for GHG emissions will include Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permitting provisions for sources that are classified as major,...

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) Research Laboratory has developed a Draft Environmental Assessment and a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the development of the Red Rock Biofuels facility in Lake County, Oregon.  The proposed facility is one of three projects awarded a contract under the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Protection Act to produce drop-in biofuels for military and private-sector transportation needs.  Even though the facility will be located in a...

On January 12, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of EPA’s response to a petition it received from the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). BRAG requested EPA to promulgate a rule pursuant to TSCA Section 8 that would establish a process to amend the list of natural sources of oil and fat in the...

On January 6, 2016, a complaint was filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California by a coalition of U.S. beekeepers, farmers, and affiliated non-government organizations (Petitioners).  The Petitioners allege that EPA has allowed “the ongoing sale and use of unregistered pesticide products”  because, they claim, EPA has incorrectly construed seeds coated with neonicotinoid insecticides to be...

On December 21, 2015, LUX Research released a list of Top 10 Innovative Companies from 2015, chosen from 1,189 companies. Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) Member Elevance Renewable Sciences received an honorable mention for its plan to expand production of specialty chemicals from crude palm oil outside of Europe and the Americas by building or retrofitting plants in Malaysia. The report rated the assessment of Elevance's prospects as "Positive." The other...

On December 16, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the Biogas Opportunities Roadmap Progress Report. The report shows the timeline of achievements that have been made since 2014 when the Roadmap was originally created, including the new Renewable Fuel Standard rule, streamlined REAP applications and scoring criteria, expanded biomass definitions, and increased funding for a larger range of...

On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed the omnibus spending bill, or Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, into law. The $1.1 trillion spending bill includes the retroactive extension of the $1 per gallon tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel blenders through December 31, 2016, while extending the second-generation biofuel production credit through January 1, 2017. In addition to extending tax credits for biofuels, the bill also funds a wide range of government programs through...