Blogs

On September 7, 2016, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) released the report "Advancing the Biobased Economy: Renewable Chemical Biorefinery Commercialization, Progress, and Market Opportunities, 2016 and Beyond." This report documents substantial growth in the renewable chemical industry, and covers domestic policies impacting renewable chemical commercialization. Policy drivers that are explored include the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the 2014 Farm Bill, draft...

On September 13, 2016, Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®) member Flint Hills Resources, along with Benefuel® Inc., announced the startup of the Duonix Beatrice biodiesel plant, and the first successful commercial-scale application of Benefuel's innovative ENSEL technology. ENSEL technology is capable of converting a range of lower cost feedstocks such as recycled cooking oil and distillers corn oil into high-quality biodiesel. Once fully operational, the Duonix...

On September 13, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened its second industry stakeholder meeting to discuss the development of a fees rule under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Pub. L. No. 114-182, “new TSCA”); a copy of the presentation is available here.  Under new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 26(b)(4)(E), EPA is required to solicit input in support of fees rulemaking.  EPA convened its first...

ChemCon The Americas is a global chemical control conference offering authoritative speakers, in-depth sessions, and a global perspective on existing and emerging chemical regulatory schemes.  ChemCon The Americas 2016 will be held October 17 - 21, 2016, in Toronto, Canada.  Highlights from the diverse and substantive program planned for Toronto include: Workshop on the modernized Toxic Substances Control Act, with speakers including Jeff Morris, Deputy Director, U.S....

On September 12, 2016, Chemical Watch and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) presented the third webinar in “The New TSCA:  What You Need To Know” webinar series:  “Webinar 3:  Inventory, CDR, and CBI (Sections 8 & 14).”  This webinar provided insight and information regarding Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform as it is being enacted and implemented, specifically related to Sections 8 and 14 of the reformed TSCA, which included the TSCA...

On September 13, 2016, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) announced in the Federal Register the availability of the draft 2016 NNI Strategic Plan for public comment.  The NNI Strategic Plan represents a consensus among NNI agencies on the high-level goals and priorities of the NNI, and on specific objectives to be pursued over at least the next three years.  The NNI Strategic Plan provides the framework under which individual NNI agencies conduct their own...

In early September 2016, the National Academies published a prepublication version of the Triennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative.  The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) asked the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a triennial review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).  In particular, the NRC was asked to assess:  (1) mechanisms to advance focused areas of nanotechnology toward advanced development and commercialization; and (2) the...

The European Commission (EC) requested a scientific opinion from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) on styrene/acrylates copolymer and sodium styrene/acrylates copolymer in nano forms.  Under the Cosmetics Regulation, any cosmetic product containing a nanomaterial must be notified to the EC six months prior to being placed on the market.  If the EC has concerns about the safety of the nanomaterial, it will refer it to the SCCS for a full risk assessment....

The synopsis is available for the June 6-7, 2016, U.S.-European Union (EU) Nano Environmental and Health Safety (NanoEHS) Research Efforts joint workshop.  According to the synopsis, the first day of the workshop was devoted to an interactive nanoEHS scrimmage in which the groups collectively responded to a spill of a hypothetical nanotechnology-enabled product.  U.S.-EU Communities of Research (COR) representatives planned the scrimmage, and the highlights and findings from...

On September 6, 2016, 61 members of the Florida House of Representatives issued a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to urge them to:  (1) declare a public health emergency for the Zika virus; (2) grant Florida’s state and local governments access to Oxitec Ltd.’s (Oxitec) genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes that can suppress the local Aedes aegypti mosquito population; and (3) grant an Emergency...