All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On September 1, 2017, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) filed a petition for review in the U.S Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (No. 17-1201) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework rule TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements, published on August 11, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 37520).  This is the third and final challenge by EDF to the framework rules implementing amended TSCA (there are only three...

On August 17, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a proposed rule regarding reporting requirements for a mercury inventory to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  The proposed rule would establish reporting deadline(s) and information requirements for the purpose of assisting EPA’s periodic update and publication of the inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade in the U.S.  As required under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the...

TSCA/FIFRA/TRI EPA Adopts 2017 NAICS Codes For TRI: On August 16, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is updating the list of North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes subject to reporting under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to reflect the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 2017 NAICS code revision. 82 Fed. Reg. 39038. As a result, facilities would be required to use 2017 NAICS codes when reporting to TRI beginning with TRI...

DOE, “Bioprose: Building the Bioeconomy through Technology & Communication” Business Wire, “Biofuel and Biogas Innovators Unite for Stronger Cellulosic Targets” Bangor University, “Landfill Sites: Not Just a Load of Rubbish” Penn State, “Potato Waste Processing May Be the Road to Enhanced Food Waste Conversion”

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On August 28, 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced in the Federal Register that a preliminary determination had been issued in the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations on biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia.  DOC preliminarily determined that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia. The period of investigation for both countries is January 1,...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On August 24, 2017, Neste, a member of BRAG, announced that its Neste MY Renewable Diesel™ is part of Finavia's climate program.  Initially, the renewable fuel will be used in 20 Helsinki Airport buses, with the goal of expanding its use in the future.  According to Mikko Viinikainen, Vice President of Sustainability & Environment at Finavia, Neste MY Renewable Diesel is an excellent addition to the Finavia’s energy portfolio, which...

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On August 14, 2017, Flint Hills Resources, a member of the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG®), announced that construction is underway to install a new, bolt-on technology, known as Maximized Stillage Co-Products™ (MSC), at its ethanol plant in Fairmont, Nebraska.  The MSC technology will be used to convert a portion of the distiller grains, a coproduct of ethanol manufacturing, to a high protein animal and fish feed ingredient,...

On September 6, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT), the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittees on Environment and on Oversight will hold a joint hearing on “Examining the Scientific and Operational Integrity of EPA’s IRIS Program.”  The following witnesses are scheduled to testify: Dr. Kenneth Mundt, Principal, Ramboll Environ; Dr. James Bus, Senior Managing Scientist, Exponent; and Dr. Thomas Burke, former Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection...

As reported in our August 25, 2017, blog item, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a webinar on September 7, 2017, on its process for gathering use and exposure information on five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  EPA will provide background on new requirements for regulating certain PBT chemicals and explain how interested parties can provide use information to EPA on...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a September 7, 2017, webinar to explain its process for gathering use and exposure information on five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  EPA states that the webinar will provide background on new requirements for regulating certain PBT chemicals and explain how interested parties can provide use information to EPA on these five chemicals:...

Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, “Project Moves Forward to Turn State Roadways into a Renewable Energy Source” North Dakota State University, “Economic Impact of North Dakota's Ethanol Industry in Fiscal Year 2015” The University of British Columbia, “New Biofuel Technology Cuts Production Time Significantly”

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. In a paper forthcoming in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Iowa State researchers demonstrate that their tractable multi-market equilibrium model designed to evaluate alternative biofuel policies confirms that the current RFS program benefits the agriculture sector, and leads to overall welfare gains for the U.S.  The model considers biodiesel and ethanol markets and is simulated to analyze alternative scenarios, including the repeal of all RFS...

By Kathleen M. Roberts On July 26, 2017, the Farewell to Unnecessary Energy Lifelines Reform Act of 2017 or FUEL Reform Act (H.R. 3419) was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ).  The bill would eliminate the following energy subsidies in Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002: Biobased Markets Program; Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program; Repowering Assistance Program;...

On August 22, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced that it plans to begin preliminary research to assess Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  According to OIG’s Project Notification, the specific objectives for this evaluation are to determine:  (1) how EPA is ensuring that companies are compliant with CDR requirements under TSCA; and (2) whether EPA is using CDR data to...

The 2017 European Union (EU)-U.S. “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop” will be held September 7-8, 2017, at the University of Birmingham.  The workshop will be activity-driven, and the activity will be to consider current (and future) approaches to nano environmental and health safety (nanoEHS) research to close the gap between research and regulation.  The activity will focus on nanomaterials testing, grouping, and read-across methodologies, using case-studies to provide...

On August 23, 2017, Michael Wenk, M.S., Senior Regulatory Consultant with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Chemical Watch discussing Argentina’s implementation of the UN’s Globally Harmonised System (GHS) for the classification and labelling of chemicals. Michael Wenk, senior regulatory consultant at international compliance specialists Acta, told Chemical Watch: "The uptick in interest in GHS in South America comes after a long period of relative...

According to a July 12, 2017, press release, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGO) wrote to the French Prime Minister and several ministers to call for labeling and restriction of nanomaterials in consumer products.  The NGOs request that three measures be taken “as a matter of urgency”: Temporarily ban titanium dioxide particles present in E171 dye until the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) working group on nano and...

On August 3, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice announcing revised comment period dates for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) meeting regarding the “Continuing Development of Alternative High-Throughput Screens to Determine Endocrine Disruption, Focusing on Androgen Receptor, Steroidogenesis, and Thyroid Pathways.”  This SAP meeting will be held...

On August 11, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the third Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework final rule in the Federal Register, the TSCA Inventory Notification (Active-Inactive) Requirements. This final rule is now in effect. Here is why the rule is important, and what stakeholders should be doing to protect their interests.

By Kathleen M. Roberts On July 31, 2017, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its monthly biodiesel production report for May 2017.  According to the report, U.S. biodiesel production increased by nine million gallons between April and May of this year, and by 1 million gallons compared to May 2016.  The Midwest (Petroleum Administration for Defense District 2) accounted for 69 percent of the total U.S. biodiesel produced.  The report also states that 66...