Blogs

On April 1, 2015, the Governor of Ohio, John Kasich (R), signed the 2016-2017 Transportation Budget Bill (Sub. H.B. 53). The state transportation budget does not include a requirement on alternative fuel use in the state vehicle fleet, a requirement that had been in place since 2006. Ohio Department of Transportation's Matt Bruning stated that the requirement mandated the state increase the amount of alternative fuels each year with no cap in place, resulting in higher costs for the state,...

On April 9, 2015, the Pentagon released the Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore Bulk Fuels Annual Buy (RMW) solicitation for biofuels on the FedBizOpps website. This purchase program supports the goal set by the Secretary of the Navy to have half of the Department of the Navy's energy come from alternative sources by 2020. Funding to defray additional biofuel costs for the RMW program is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Vendors can...

On April 14, 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives' Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy held a hearing on the TSCA Modernization Act of 2015 discussion draft (TMA-DD). An analysis of the April 7, 2015, TMA-DD is available on the Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) website. The April 14, 2015, witnesses' testimonies are posted on the Energy & Commerce Committee website.

On April 10, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia a proposed consent decree to resolve litigation challenging the delay in issuing Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for 2014 and 2015 brought by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) against EPA. The consent decree would establish EPA's schedule for issuing a RFS for 2014 and 2015. In its filing, EPA stated that...

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published on March 23, 2015, the outcomes of the March 12-13, 2015, joint workshop held by the U.S. and the European Union (EU), “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts.”  The workshop was intended to promote and deepen the collaboration on nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research.  Workshop participants reviewed progress toward U.S.-EU Communities of Research (COR) goals and objectives, shared best...

On March 24, 2015, the European Commission (EC) announced a call for data on the ingredient “colloidal silver (nano).” According to the EC, it has received notification of several cosmetics products containing the ingredient “colloidal silver (nano)” (CAS No. 7440-22-4). The EC states that although this ingredient is not regulated in the cosmetics regulation, it is reported in the Cosmetic Ingredients and Substances (CosIng) database with antimicrobial functions. According to the...

On April 9, 2015, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) posted a Position Statement on emerging and newly identified health risks to be drawn to the attention of the European Commission.  The primary purpose of the paper is to draw the attention of the EC to emerging issues in the non-food area that have been identified by SCENIHR members as having the potential to significantly impact human health and/or the environment in...

On April 3, 2015, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) held a Public Workshop to discuss updates to the California-Modified Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (CA-GREET) Model, version 2.0, under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The update includes improved formulas to calculate Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC), and an updated model for calculating lifecycle Carbon Intensity (CI) values that is based on Argonne National Laboratory's GREET model....

On March 26, 2015, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced S. 899, the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act of 2015, a bill to provide regulatory relief to alternative fuel producers and consumers. The bill would require EPA to provide a volatility waiver to E15, allowing the higher ethanol blend to be sold year round. Fuels have volatility limits in the summer to prevent excess evaporation that results in smog. Some areas cannot obtain the lower-volatility gas that would be...

On March 26, 2015, Representative Todd Young (R-IN) introduced H.R. 1665, the Alternative Fuel Tax Parity Act, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to equalize the excise tax on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (propane). This legislation would attach federal tax parities for LNG and propane to the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit (AFTC) that currently covers alternative fuel mixtures, alcohol fuel, and biodiesel. The AFTC has expired and is awaiting renewal. If H.R. 1665...