2016 was full of surprises, two of which are driving much of the environmental agenda for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2017. First, Congress significantly amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in June of 2016. The changes are intended to reform the program to address the widely recognized deficiencies in the law, especially regarding existing chemicals, chemical testing, Confidential Business Information (CBI) claims, and preemption of state...
Category: General
June 30, 2017
Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News
Platts, “Recent California LCFS Case Ruling Unlikely to Affect State's Market: Sources” UPM Biofuels, “Ecofys Study on Crude Tall Oil Markets and Availability: Sufficient Supply for Advanced Biofuels, Biomaterials and Energy Usage” University of Illinois, “Corn Better Used As Food Than Biofuel, Study Finds” Chemical & Engineering News, “Green Synthesized Biofuel Meets Auto Standards”
By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On June 19, 2017, Synthetic Genomics Inc. announced a breakthrough in its collaboration with ExxonMobil involving the modification of an algae strain that more than doubled its oil content to 40 percent without significantly inhibiting the strain’s growth. Synthetic Genomics researchers identified a genetic switch that could be fine-tuned to regulate the conversion of carbon to oil in the algae species, Nannochloropsis gaditana, and established a...
June 30, 2017
NBB Meets With Congress On Biodiesel Tax Incentive
By Kathleen M. Roberts On June 20, 2017, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) announced that nearly 100 biodiesel advocates from across the country visited Capitol Hill to urge Congress to bring back the biodiesel tax incentive as proposed in both chambers of Congress. Industry participants consisted of biodiesel producers, distributors, and feedstock suppliers from over 24 states. According to Anne Steckel, the Vice President of Federal Affairs at NBB, the bipartisan biodiesel...
June 30, 2017
DOE Announces $32 Million In Funding For Small Businesses Developing Clean Energy Technology
By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On June 21, 2017, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that 32 small businesses across 18 states will receive a total of $32 million in grants to develop clean energy technologies that have a strong potential for commercialization and job creation. The funding was provided by DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The 32 projects were selected based on scientific and technical...
June 29, 2017
NanoDefine Will Hold Workshop on Measurement and Classification of Nanomaterials According to the EC Definition
On October 24, 2017, NanoDefine will hold a one-day workshop in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. The main purpose of the workshop is to provide a practical demonstration of newly developed measurement techniques to end-users who have to implement the European Commission’s (EC) recommendation on the definition of a nanomaterial (2011/696/EU). NanoDefine experts have developed a wide panel of new validated measurement methods, techniques, instruments, and software to classify...
On June 26, 2017, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) issued a summary and analysis of the three final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) framework rules released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 22, 2017, EPA Issues Final TSCA Framework Rules. The final rules include the prioritization process rule, which establishes EPA’s process and criteria for identifying High-Priority chemicals for risk evaluation and Low-Priority chemicals for which risk...
June 27, 2017
TSCA Reform: One Year Later Conference, June 27, 2017, Washington D.C. and via Webinar
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health held a day-long "TSCA Reform: One Year Later" conference exploring the federal government’s implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which significantly amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), just over one year after it was signed into law. Speakers discussed key components of the bipartisan...
June 26, 2017
Germany Publishes Meeting Report from Expert Dialogue on Application of Nanotechnologies in the Construction Sector
On June 1, 2017, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety published meeting documents from the Expert Dialogue on “Opportunities and Risks of the Application of Nanotechnologies in the Construction Sector.” The documents include a summary of discussion, meeting agenda, and report, Regulation of construction products and possibilities to address (new) risks from nanomaterials. During the Expert Dialogue, participants...
By Kathleen M. Roberts On June 12, 2017, 28 companies representing the advanced and cellulosic biofuel industry sent a letter to the members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee requesting their support for the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S. 517), which is scheduled to be marked up in the Environment and Public Works Committee before the August recess. The letter claims that the Act, which would extend the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waiver to ethanol...