Category: General

May 23, 2017

WEBINAR – – ALICLE The New Toxic Substances Control Act: What All Environmental Lawyers Need to Know, May 23, 2017, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

A webinar presented by Americal Law Institute. All environment, energy, and natural resources lawyers need to understand how the recent Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) amendments will affect not just chemical production and usage, but product liability, commercial transactions, and supply chain relationships as well. In just one hour, participants learned the legal and policy implications they needed to know about this significant legislation. Our distinguished panel of Fellows from the...
May 19, 2017

SEMI Will Host Webcast on New TSCA Requirements for Nanoscale Materials

On June 1, 2017, in concert with industry partners, SEMI will host an information-sharing webcast concerning the new regulatory requirements for nanoscale materials under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Jim Alwood, Program Manager in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chemical Control Division, will provide a summary and answer questions about the new TSCA Section 8(a) record-keeping and reporting requirements for nanoscale materials.  The final...
May 19, 2017

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Eyes ‘Burdensome’ Rules,” Chemical Processing, May 19, 2017.

On February 24, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13777, Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda. The EO offers opportunities for stakeholders to improve regulations. This article summarizes efforts to implement this EO, and identifies opportunities stakeholders may wish to pursue to eliminate or amend regulatory initiatives they feel have outlived their utility or were ill-conceived from the get-go.
May 19, 2017

SBA to Host Regional Small Business Roundtables on Regulatory Reform

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) has announced that it will be hosting regional small business roundtables “to hear firsthand from small businesses facing regulatory burdens [on] … which federal agency regulations should be considered for reform or elimination,” and “which regulations are problematic for your business,” as a result of the recent Executive Orders 13771 and 13777 on regulatory reform. The first two roundtables in this series...
May 19, 2017

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

Platts, “White House Reviews US EPA's Proposed 2018-19 Biofuel Blending Volumes” U.S. Department of Energy, “Map Out Your Career in the Bioeconomy with BETO’s New Bioenergy Career Map!” Iowa Farm Bureau, “Perdue Pledges Support for Trade and Biofuels during Iowa Visit” Lancaster University, “New Breakthrough Makes it Easier to Turn Old Coffee Waste into Cleaner Biofuels”
May 19, 2017

ITC Publishes Determinations On Biodiesel Antidumping, Countervailing Investigation

By Lauren M. Graham, Ph.D. On May 12, 2017, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) published in the Federal Register its preliminary determinations regarding the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia.  ITC confirmed that there is a reasonable indication that an industry in the U.S. is materially injured by imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia, which are alleged to be sold in the U.S. at less...
May 19, 2017

Senators Send SEC, EPA, Letter On Renewable Fuel Credit Market

By Kathleen M. Roberts On May 9, 2017, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with seven additional Democratic Senators, sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) requesting an investigation into the activities of Carl Icahn for potential insider trading, market manipulation, and other securities and commodities law violations in the renewable fuel credit market. ...
May 18, 2017

Registration Open for NanoEHS Webinar on Voluntary Standards and Their Role in Enhancing the Quality of Scientific Research

Registration is now open for a May 24, 2017, webinar on “An Introduction to Voluntary Standards and Their Role in Enhancing the Quality of Scientific Research.”  According to the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), the safe development and commercialization of nanotechnology depends on the availability of internationally agreed upon standards.  Such standards enable the use of consistent terminology, measurement protocols, and well-characterized reference...
May 17, 2017

EPA Seeks Comment on Draft Guidance for Nanoscale Materials Reporting Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on May 16, 2017, announcing the availability of and requesting public comment on a draft guidance document entitled “Guidance on EPA’s Section 8(a) Information Gathering Rule on Nanomaterials in Commerce.”  82 Fed. Reg. 22452.  The promised guidance provides answers to questions EPA has received from manufacturers (includes importers) and processors of certain chemical substances when...