By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 6, 2018, a coalition of biofuel producers wrote to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) urging them to reach out to President Trump to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. EPA, under the direction of Administrator Scott Pruitt, recently provided a large oil refining company, Andeavor, with a hardship waiver. These waivers are typically given to small refineries producing less than 75,000 barrels per day that would suffer a...
Category: General
April 13, 2018
DOE Announces Call For Proposals For BIRD Energy Funding
By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a funding opportunity for 2018 through Binational Industrial Research & Development (BIRD) Energy, a joint U.S.-Israel industrial research and development (R&D) program for renewable and energy efficiency technologies. To qualify for BIRD energy funding, a project must include: R&D cooperation between two companies or cooperation between a company and a university/research institution (one from...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On April 3, 2018, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) announced that companies from Argentina and Indonesia will face new anti-dumping duties after findings by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) that imports of biodiesel at less than fair value materially injured the U.S. biodiesel industry. Commerce determined that the Argentinian and Indonesian imports were sold in the U.S. at dumping margins of up to 86.41 percent and 276.65 percent,...
April 12, 2018
James V. Aidala Quoted in Bloomberg Environment Article “Dicamba Herbicide Makers Banking on Successful Summer
On April 12, 2018, Bloomberg Environment quoted James V. Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.(B&C®) regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) possible decision to extend registration for dicamba herbicide formulations. “Passing another time-limited registration would give them a heck of a lot of leverage,” said James Aidala, a senior government affairs consultant at Bergeson & Campbell, PC, a...
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a new report on April 11, 2018, that finds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program has made “substantial progress” in implementing recommendations outlined by the National Academies in previous reports. According to the April 11, 2018, press release, the transformation of IRIS began several years ago, after the release of a 2011 National...
On April 10, 2018, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) held a complimentary webinar, “FIFRA Hot Topics.” Co-hosted with Bloomberg BNA, the webinar featured Richard P. Keigwin, Jr., Director, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Daniella Taveau, former International Trade Negotiator for EPA and now Regulatory and Global Trade Strategist, King & Spalding; and William L. Jordan,...
April 10, 2018
EPA Appoints Additional Members to Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals; NGO Scientists Decline Appointment
On March 22, 2018, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt appointed 11 additional members to the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals. Under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the purpose of the Committee is to provide independent advice and expert consultation, at the request of the EPA Administrator, with respect to the scientific and technical aspects of risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution prevention...
On April 10, 2018, Inside EPA included quotes from Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Bloomberg BNA’s FIFRA Hot Topics webinar in the article “Former EPA official 'gloomy' on ESA pesticide deal.” A former senior EPA pesticide official is pessimistic that federal officials will be able to overhaul their process for assessing pesticides' risks under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), calling prospects for such a deal “gloomy” given stakeholders past...
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and Bloomberg BNA were pleased to present “FIFRA Hot Topics,” the second webinar in the 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series. This complimentary, hour-long webinar featured Rick P. Keigwin, Jr., Director, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Daniella Taveau, former International Trade Negotiator for EPA and now Regulatory and Global Trade...
By Lynn L. Bergeson ASTM International’s energizing fuels division recently passed an Alcohol To Jet (ATJ) ethanol based specification ballot measure that will allow jet fuel, produced from ethanol under the ATJ process, to be sold commercially on a global basis. ASTM D7566 had previously permitted ethanol as a feedstock for Aviation Turbine Fuel with a maximum final fuel blend of 50 percent, but now permits a full replacement of the hydrocarbon fuel. This change opens the door...