Blogs

On May 25, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended until August 16, 2018, the comment period on its proposed rule titled “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.”  83 Fed. Reg. 24255.  EPA also announced that it will hold a public hearing on the controversial proposed rule on July 17, 2018.  The April 30, 2018, proposal (83 Fed. Reg. 18768) is intended to strengthen the transparency of EPA regulatory science.  The proposed...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 21, 2018, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), in partnership with industry sponsors, announced a series of five seminars for fuel wholesalers, distributors, retailers, marketers, fleets, municipalities, and other end users focusing on benefits and opportunities surrounding biodiesel. The complimentary series, Exploring Biodiesel (XBX), will be held in the following regions: Boston, MA (June 12, 2018); Philadelphia, PA (July 18, 2018); Los Angeles, CA (August 7,...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 16, 2018, Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. announced the start of site construction for Phase 2 of the Sierra BioFuels Plant in Reno, Nevada.  This commercial-scale plant will be the nation’s first to convert municipal solid waste feedstock into low-carbon, renewable jet fuel. “Launching the final construction phase of Sierra is another milestone for Fulcrum, our partners, Northern Nevada and the low-carbon fuels industry,” Jim Macias,...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 23, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced that a pre-recorded informational webinar regarding the proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) will be made available beginning on June 1, 2018.  83 Fed. Reg. 23827.  The Federal Register notice states that the pre-recorded webinar “will provide an overview of the background, provisions, and potential impacts of the...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 21, 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced that it will fund 87 new projects across 34 states, totaling nearly $13 million in funding.  This funding is part of the 219 grants totaling $34 million awarded to 183 small businesses in 41 states through the DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Nine EERE technology...

On May 23, 2018, the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published an article entitled “Nordic information campaign on REACH-relevant regulation for nanomaterials.”  According to EUON, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are coordinating an information campaign through the N-Nano project group of the Nordic Chemical Working Group of the Nordic Council of Ministers.  The goal of the campaign is to develop a web-based tool to provide information on European Union...

On May 22-23, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) National Leadership Summit (Summit) in Washington, D.C.  The Summit convened federal and state regulators, including representatives from EPA’s Office of Water (OW), EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), a small group of invited industry participants, and...

The May 2018 ECHA Newsletter includes an interview with Robert Johansson, Head of the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s (KEMI) Chemical Statistics and Registries Unit.  As reported in our December 7, 2017, blog item, KEMI has established a mandatory reporting scheme to obtain information on the quantities and types of nanomaterials used in Sweden, with the first reports due in February 2019.  According to Johansson, “[t]his information can then provide a basis for...

On May 16, 2018, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) announced the availability of six case studies intended to help stakeholders understand how the categorization process for new industrial chemicals will work under the new Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS).  The case studies cover typical scenarios for introducing cosmetic and non-cosmetic new chemicals, and show how introducers would categorize chemicals as...

The European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) has posted the workshop report from the March 9, 2018, Stakeholder Dialogue meeting.  According to the report, the annual meeting focused on providing an update on EUON and allowing stakeholders an opportunity to share their views on expectations on the future development of EUON.  During his welcome address, Jukka Malm, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), acknowledged that some stakeholders preferred a mandatory register...