On May 1, 2018, the Hawaii Senate and House of Representatives passed a bill that will ban the sale, offer of sale, or distribution in Hawaii of any sunscreen that contains oxybenzone or octinoxate, or both, without a prescription issued by a licensed healthcare provider to preserve marine ecosystems, beginning January 1, 2021: S.B. No. 2571, Environment; Water Pollution; Sunscreen; Oxybenzone; Octinoxate; Sale; Distribution; Prohibition. The bill received unanimous...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 26, 2018, the European Commission (EC) announced €22 million in funding though the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) for AgriChemWhey, a bio-economy research project aiming to convert dairy byproducts into reusable biobased products. AgriChemWhey was developed by Glanbia Ireland, University College Dublin, and Trinity College Dublin, with the objective of developing a bio-refinery that can convert low-value dairy byproducts, including excess...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 24, 2018, UPM Biofuels announced that its crude tall oil (CTO) feedstock for BioVerno renewable fuels had received the first ever RSB (Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials) low ILUC (indirect land use change) risk certification. This certificate confirms that the amount of CTO used to make BioVerno is sustainable and not diverted from other uses, resulting in little to no ILUC risk. Rolf Hogan, Executive Director of RSB, said of the certification: The RSB is...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 1, 2018, a new biodiesel requirement went into effect in Minnesota, requiring all diesel fuel sold in the state to contain five percent biodiesel from October to March and 20 percent biodiesel from April to September. This is the last stage of the Biodiesel Content Mandate that has been steadily increasing the minimum content requirement of biodiesel in diesel sold in Minnesota since September 29, 2005, when a two percent blend requirement was introduced. Since...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 1, 2018, DOE Secretary Rick Perry announced that up to $68.5 million in funding will be available for early-stage research of advanced vehicle technologies through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). The announcement states that the available funding “will enable more affordable mobility, strengthen domestic energy security, and enhance U.S. economic growth.” Projects selected through this Vehicle...
By Lynn L. Bergeson The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced that the International Energy Agency (IEA) Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) will present a webinar titled “Biofuels for the Marine Sector: New Opportunities and New Challenges” on May 8, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (EDT) that will “give an overview of the maritime transportation sector, including its fuel and engine types, the fuel supply...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 30, 2018, 18 pro-ethanol Senators sent a bi-partisan letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt requesting a “transparent timeline … on the regulatory pathway forward to address the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) issue,” “an expected timeline of the rulemaking process to clarify how the agency will make this change to allow higher ethanol blends access to the marketplace” and “immediate clarity...
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) announced the availability of a nanomaterial product stewardship fact sheet sponsored by the AIHA® Nanotechnology Working Group. The fact sheet, “Nanomaterial Product Stewardship: National Security Implications of Export-import Activities,” authored by C.R. Knezevich, CIH, provides a thorough and helpful overview of export-import regulations affecting nanomaterials, reviews U.S. export regimes, and includes recommended...
May 2, 2018
EPA Continues to Investigate Engineered Nanomaterials in Industrial Wastewater Discharge
On May 2, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice announcing publication of its Final 2016 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan. The Plan describes EPA’s Clean Water Act rulemakings and other actions intended to control industrial wastewater pollution. According to the Plan, EPA continued several ongoing investigations, including one on the manufacture and processing of engineered nanomaterials as a potential new source of...
As reported in our February 16, 2018, blog item, the European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) has opened a call to access its Nanobiotechnology Laboratory. The Nanobiotechnology Laboratory features state-of-the-art equipped facilities designed to foster interdisciplinary studies. Offering access to the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory is part of JRC’s strategy to enhance dissemination of scientific knowledge; boost competiveness; bridge the gap between...