On February 10, 2015, the European Union’s (EU) chief negotiator on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement released the EU’s initial proposal for the “legal text” of the all-important regulatory cooperation chapter. The text was tabled for discussion with the United States in the negotiating round on February 6, 2015, and released to the public shortly thereafter. The text of the final agreement will be a result of negotiations between the EU and U.S. Among...
February 13, 2015
Clean Jobs Coalition Calls For Updated Renewable Energy Laws In Illinois
On February 4, 2015, the newly formed Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for an update of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that was put into place in 2007. The Coalition proposed a plan to create as many as 32,000 jobs annually by improving Illinois' energy economy. These improvements would be made through: (1) changes to the RPS to increase the use of renewable sources to create 35 percent of power by 2030; (2) improved energy efficiency standards so that...
On February 3, 2015, West Virginia repealed the Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Act that was originally passed and adopted in 2009. This Act (the Standard) required utilities serving 30,000 residential customers or more to generate at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. To be in compliance with the Standard, utilities could use coal (e.g., advanced coal technologies and waste coal), natural gas, and fuel generated from burning tires as alternative...
February 13, 2015
Senators Urge EPA To Set And Increase Biodiesel RFS Volumes
On February 9, 2015, a bi-partisan group of 32 Senators led by Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy regarding 2014 and future biodiesel volume requirements under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). In their letter, the Senators urge EPA to get the biodiesel renewable volume requirements (RVOs) under the RFS back on schedule. To this end, the...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its fiscal year 2016 budget request on February 2, 2015. The proposed budget is $156 billion total, with $6 billion going directly to loans that will encourage cleaner fossil fuel use and support renewable energy in rural America. The $6 billion allocation is an increase of $1 billion that would be allocated towards loans from the 2015 fiscal year. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the proposed budget "fosters innovation and advances...
On February 2, 2015, the White House released the 2016 fiscal year budget request for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Under this proposed plan, DOE would receive $29.9 billion, an increase of $2.6 billion from the 2015 fiscal year. The increase in funding for DOE would focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean power technology with some of the additional money coming from DOE's fossil fuel programs. A total of $7.4 billion of the funding would go specifically towards clean...
February 12, 2015
ACGIH® TLV®-CS Committee Studying Nanoscale Primary Particle Notation
On January 30, 2015, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) announced the under study list for its Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV®-CS) Committee. The under study list includes, under other issues under study, “nanoscale primary particle notation.” According to ACGIH®, the under study list serves as “notification and invitation to interested parties to submit substantive data and comments to assist the...
February 11, 2015
Ninth Circuit to Consider Civil Rights Issue in Review of California SIP
On February 12, 2015, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in El Comite Para El Bienestar De Earlimart v. EPA, a case challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of provisions in a State Implementation Plan (SIP) adopted by California under the Clean Air Act (CAA) that regulate emissions of pesticides (primarily fumigants like methyl bromide) that potentially may contribute to possible exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard...
February 11, 2015
EU Issues Guidance to Clarify Transitional Measures for Data Requirements for Plant Protection Products and Active Substances
The European Commission (EC) Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed has issued a guidance document entitled Draft Guidance Document on the Interpretation of the Transitional Measures for the Data Requirements for Chemical Active Substances and Plant Protection Products according to Regulation (EU) No. 283/2013 and Regulation (EU) No. 284/2013. Following the adoption in 2009 of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products (PPP), additional...
February 6, 2015
EFSA Scientific Network of Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed Publishes 2014 Annual Report
On February 16, 2015, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the 2014 annual report of the EFSA Scientific Network of Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed, which is intended to inform the public and the EFSA Advisory Forum about the Network’s specific activities and achievements. EFSA states that, during 2014, the Network followed-up on its priority areas and contributed to making inventories of applications of nanomaterials already present in the food/feed...