All Knowledge & Insights By Date

Hear BRAG's Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., and other panelists on Thursday, October 1, at the Algae Biomass Summit, which runs September 29 - October 2, 2015, in Washington, D.C. This is where leading producers of algae products go to network with industry suppliers and technology providers, where project developers converse with utility executives, and where researchers and technology developers rub elbows with venture capitalists. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. is a proud sponsor. Register...

On September 3, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) released a Request for Information (RFI) titled “High Yields through Productivity and Integration Research.”  BETO is seeking input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders regarding supply systems and services for the cultivation, logistics, and preprocessing of algal feedstocks. This RFI provides algae stakeholders with an...

On September 8, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will host a Disinfection Hierarchy Stakeholder Workshop and corresponding webinar on October 7, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EDT).  The “disinfection hierarchy” describes the descending order of susceptibility of classes of microorganisms to antimicrobial chemicals.  Demonstrated efficacy against a representative organism would support a manufacturer’s claims against more susceptible...

On August 18, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released a notice containing tax code information for 2014 biodiesel tax credits. The focus of the notice is the treatment of credits under Internal Revenue Code Section 6426(c) and (d) that allow a biodiesel blender to claim a credit against tax liability. Generally, the tax liability is in the form of excise taxes imposed by Sections 4041 and 4081 and is reported on Form 720, Quarterly Federal Excise Tax Return, and the Section 6426...

On August 27, 2015, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced funding for two projects focused on the development of next-generation biofuels. Texas A&M University will receive up to $2.5 million to support its efforts in developing a single-unit process to convert lignin in the production of bioplastics, and Ohio University will receive up to $1.5 million for its work in developing a continuous flow electrochemical reactor that upgrades waste lignin to biobased phenol substitutes.

On September 2, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), in accordance with guidelines developed by ATSDR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), issued a proposed Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls for review and comment that included updated toxicological profiles for 13 perfluorinated chemicals, including two well-studied perfluorinated chemicals, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)...

This week, Belgium’s Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment created an online portal for companies to register nanomaterials they put on the market.  Nanosubstances must be registered before January 1, 2016.  Mixtures containing such substances must be registered before January 1, 2017.  Belgium has posted several documents to help companies determine whether they must register: Who has to register?  The answer is given in a...

This week, Belgium's Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment created an online portal for companies to register nanomaterials they put on the market.

TSCA/FIFRA/IRIS/NTP/TRI EPA Releases TSCA Assessment Documents For Flame Retardant Chemicals: On August 18, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for public comment three Problem Formulation and Initial Assessment documents and a Data Needs Assessment (DNA) document for one of four structurally similar flame retardant chemical clusters being reviewed under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan assessment effort. 80 Fed. Reg. 49997. The goal of these...

On July 20, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued OSHA Directive Number CPL 02-02-079. The Directive is intended to establish “policies and procedures to ensure uniform enforcement of the Hazard Communication standard” (HCS 2012).

On August 19, 2015, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced appeals of its March 11, 2015, decision on substance evaluation for silicon dioxide.  Case A-015-2015 was filed by Evonik Degussa GmbH and 34 others, while Case A-014-2015 was filed by Grace GmbH & Co. KG and Advanced Refining Technologies GmbH.  The appellants in Case A-015-2015 challenge ECHA’s decision to include silicon dioxide on the Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) “due to...

? Abengoa, "Abengoa Selected to Build the World's Largest Biomass Combined Heat and Power Plant in The UK" ? Scottish Association for Marine Science, "Scientists Reveal Algal Oil Potential as Fuel for the Future" ? Kansas State University, "Biochemist Studies Oilseed Plants for Biofuel, Industrial Development" ? Solegear, "Solegear to Collaborate With Dr. Scholl's® on Bioplastic Packaging Solutions" ? PR NewsWire, "VIASPACE Giant King®...

On August 11, 2015, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO) report. The report outlined expectations for regular gasoline to average a retail price of $2.41 for all of 2015, with prices for the fourth quarter of 2015 averaging $2.11. Consistently low gasoline prices, in addition to the proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volumes that were announced on May 29, 2015, have resulted in the EIA forecasting that ethanol consumption will average about...

On August 14, 2015, the Department of Energy's (DOE) BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) announced the creation of a microbe that increases isobutanol yields by a factor of ten. The study, published in Metabolic Engineering, expanded upon a 2011 study where researchers were able to engineer genetically a microbe to produce isobutanol directly from cellulose. The new study used a higher yielding microbe with similar engineered traits, resulting in consolidated bioprocessing efficiency. This...

On August 14, 2015, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) asked EPA to waive Reid Vapor Pressure requirements for E15 and to also allow E12 blending. Reid Vapor Pressure is a measure of gasoline's volatility and is regulated in the summer months to reduce health risks caused by evaporative emissions. The request by the RFA occurred in the wake of a 240,000 barrels per day (b/d) refinery outage in Whiting, Indiana that has resulted in 50 cents per gallon cost increases for gasoline in some...

The Expert Workshop focusing on technical questions for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) development of a biotechnology algae considerations document is drawing near. The workshop will be open to the public and is scheduled for September 30, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. More details, including instructions on how to register for the workshop, will be made available in a Federal Register notice. More information regarding the biotechnology algae project is available in...

The release of the first Tier 1 assessments in the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 30, 2015, is a significant benchmark in the program since the original List 1 test orders were issued in October 2009. This column explains why.

? Corbion, "Corbion And MedinCell Form Joint Venture to Supply Resorbable Polymers for Controlled Drug Release" ? Forbes, "Clean Power Plan to Algae Companies: Prove It" ? USDA Blog, "Bioenergy, Bioproducts Education Program Builds Student Confidence, Equips Educators" ? Nasdaq Global Newswire, "Alliance BioEnergy Plus, Inc. Enters into 56 Plant Development Agreement with Renewable Resources Development of America, LLC." ? Phys.org, "Ethylene...

On August 7, 2015, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $63 million in loans and grants to be distributed through its Rural Energy for American Program (REAP). The $63 million is divided among 264 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects throughout the nation, in primarily rural communities. In addition to creating jobs and improving local economies, the newly announced REAP projects are expected to either save or generate 207.8 million kilowatt hours (KWh) of energy. REAP funds may be...

On August 10, 2015, the Federal Register included a notice announcing an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee in Washington D.C. on August 27, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and August 28, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and is intended to develop guidance to promote the research and development of the production of biobased fuels and biobased products. The meeting will also include an update on U.S. Department...