In less than two months, renewable fuel and biobased chemical companies that have successfully moved from research and development to commercialization will be required to respond to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This may come as a surprise to some biobased chemicals companies that are under the misperception that they are not regulated under TSCA. This is simply wrong. Unless otherwise...
April 7, 2016
NAS Releases Agenda for First Future Biotechnology Products and Regulatory System Committee Meeting
On April 5, 2016, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) posted the Agenda for the first open session of its committee on “Future Biotechnology Products and Opportunities to Enhance Capabilities of the Biotechnology Regulatory System.” The Committee is beginning a study to provide an independent and objective examination of the future products of biotechnology, as commissioned pursuant to the White House Office of Science and Technology...
April 6, 2016
NNI Publishes Supplement to the President’s 2017 Budget
On March 31, 2016, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published its supplement to the President’s 2017 budget request. The supplement also serves as the NNI annual report called for under the provisions of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003. NNI states that the President’s budget request provides $1.4 billion for NNI, with a cumulative total of nearly $24 billion since the inception of NNI in 2001 (including the 2017 request), “affirming...
On April 4, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a report entitled Building a Safety Program to Protect the Nanotechnology Workforce: A Guide for Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises. The report states that employees may be at risk of exposure by inhalation, skin absorption, or ingestion. According to the report, several factors can affect their potential for exposure, including: The route, concentration, duration, and frequency of any exposure; The...
April 1, 2016
Petitioners’ Requests to the Court to Proceed with Review of Enlist Duo During Remand and to Retain Jurisdiction Are Denied
On March 28, 2016, a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Case Nos. 15-71207, et al. (consolidated) issued an order denying the Petitioners’ March 10, 2016, motion asking the court to adjudicate their challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) registration of the pesticide Enlist Duo during remand of the registration decision to EPA, as well as their alternative request that the court stay issuance of its mandate and retain...
April 1, 2016
U.S. Air Force Testing BioBased Vehicle Oil Created From Canola Seed, Soybean, And Synthetic Petrol
On March 22, 2016, a team visited Malmstrom Air Force Base to test a new biobased synthetic oil in the base's vehicles. The testing is sponsored by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, with four bases chosen to use the plant based synthetic oil in vehicles. The Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Training Center has also begun testing the oil and will be monitoring the impacts on vehicle performance and engine quality over the next...
April 1, 2016
EPA Publishes Final Rule on Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additio
On March 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additional Chemical Data final rule in the Federal Register. This final rule amends the list of chemical substances that are partially exempt from additional reporting requirements under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule. The rule applies to six biodiesel chemicals that are very similar to petroleum based biodiesel chemicals that are already on the...
March 30, 2016
NNCO Announces Availability Of QEEN Workshop Report
On March 28, 2016, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced the release of a report entitled Quantifying Exposure to Engineered Nanomaterials (QEEN) from Manufactured Products: Addressing Environmental, Health, and Safety Implications. The report summarizes the July 7-8, 2015, QEEN workshop, which was sponsored by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and co-hosted by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). The main goals for...
March 30, 2016
EPA OIG Will Evaluate EPA’s Management of Resistance Issues Related to Herbicide Tolerant GE Crops
On March 25, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) sent a memorandum to Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), announcing that it plans to begin preliminary research to assess EPA’s management and oversight of resistance issues related to herbicide tolerant genetically engineered (GE) crops. OIG states that its review will include the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), as well...
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) issued a March 23, 2016, press release concerning the launch of a Nanotechnology Signature Initiative (NSI), Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology: Nanoscale Solutions for a Global-Scale Challenge. The Office of Science and Technology posted a blog item on March 23, 2016, concerning the new NSI, stating that it is intended “to take advantage of the unique properties of engineered nanomaterials to generate...