On August 28, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) web resource for the Series 810 – Product Performance Test Guidelines: Antimicrobial Efficacy Test Guidelines. As of August 28, 2019, efficacy testing should be in compliance with the following Product Performance Test Guidelines published by EPA in February 2018: 810.2000: General Considerations for Testing Public Health Antimicrobial Pesticides, Guide for...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 22, 2019, the appointment of Dennis Deziel as Regional Administrator for Region 1. Mr. Deziel will oversee environmental protection efforts in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut and in ten Tribal Nations. According to EPA, Mr. Deziel has spent much of his life working in public service in Washington, D.C. He most recently worked at Dow as the...
August 28, 2019
NIEHS-Funded Research Finds that Graphene Shield Shows Promise in Blocking Mosquito Bites
On August 26, 2019, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) announced that the results of an NIEHS-funded study show that graphene could provide alternatives to chemicals in insect repellant and protective clothing. The study, “Mosquito Bite Prevention through Graphene Barrier Layers,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. According to the abstract, the researchers hypothesized that graphene films may provide mosquito bite...
On August 27, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register that makes several changes to the current “Crop Group 19: Herbs and Spices Group.” This latest proposal, which is the fifth in a series of crop group amendments, was created in response to a petition developed by the International Crop Group Consulting Committee (ICGCC) workgroup that was submitted by the Interregional Research Project Number 4...
August 27, 2019
NIEHS-Funded Research Finds that Graphene Shield Shows Promise in Blocking Mosquito Bites
On August 26, 2019, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) announced that the results of an NIEHS-funded study show that graphene could provide alternatives to chemicals in insect repellant and protective clothing. The study, “Mosquito Bite Prevention through Graphene Barrier Layers,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. According to the abstract, the researchers hypothesized that graphene films may provide...
On August 23, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice proposing to designate 20 chemical substances as high-priority substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 84 Fed. Reg. 44300. The notice includes a summary of the approach used by EPA to support the proposed designations, the proposed designation for each of the chemical substances, and instructions on how to access the chemical-specific information,...
August 23, 2019
PEER Petitions EPA for TSCA Rule Prohibiting Oil Refineries from Using Hydrofluoric Acid in Manufacturing Processes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted an August 7, 2019, petition for rulemaking submitted by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). PEER asks that oil refineries be prohibited from using hydrofluoric acid in their manufacturing processes and that oil refineries be required to phase out the use of hydrofluoric acid within two years. According to PEER, TSCA and the Clean Air...
On August 23, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Federal Register notice announcing the receipt of 10 applications to amend currently registered pesticide products to add hemp as a new use site. The 10 application amendments are the result of the 2018 Farm Bill, signed in to law on December 20, 2018, that removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and legalized commercial use and production of hemp that contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol...
August 23, 2019
NEB To Host Free Workshop For Fuel Retailers
By Lynn L. Bergeson On August 28, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (CDT), the Nebraska Ethanol Board (NEB) will host a free workshop for fuel retailers across the state to demonstrate the benefits and ease of offering ethanol-15 (E15) fuel to customers. The one-day workshop will cover misconceptions about the cost of offering E15, best practices, and resources to make implementing and labeling infrastructure easy and affordable. Space is limited, and interested parties must register by August...
August 23, 2019
Brazilian Research Institute Partners With Government To Evaluate Bio-Agricultural Inputs
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On August 16, 2019, the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea – Institute of Applied Economic Research) announced its partnership with the Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Mapa - Brazilian Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply Ministry) to develop indicators to evaluate the implementation of the Programa Nacional de Insumos para Agricultura Orgânica (Bioinsumos – National Input for...