On April 21, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the initial installment of its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER). This first installment focuses on ways to modernize the U.S. energy infrastructure to increase the country's energy competitiveness and security. In its QER, DOE points out that while U.S. biofuel production has increased significantly over the past decade -- due largely to the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) --"[c]ontinued growth in ethanol use will...
Category: General
EPPA, The Acta Group's (Acta®) strategic partner in Brussels, has developed a powerful interactive business tool delivering comprehensive, constantly-updated news, data, documentation, and analysis on European Union (EU) trade negotiations, with a special focus on the ongoing Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the EU and the U.S. The EU Trade Negotiation Tracker (Tracker), a joint initiative of EPPA and Deloitte, is available on a subscription...
April 22, 2015
CropLife America/RISE 2015 Spring Conference “Science Speaks”, April 22 – 24, 2015, Arlington, Virginia
B&C sponsored CropLife America and Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE) Spring conference, which included sessions on pollinator health, Endangered Species Act assessments, water contaminants, trade regulations and more. B&C Partner Lisa M. Campbell presented “EPA’s FIFRA Import Requirements and Enforcement” on April 23. B&C Senior Government Affairs Counsel John H. Thorne, Ph.D., presented “EPA-Corps ‘Waters of the...
As all chemical companies doing business in the European Union (EU) should know, the "A" in REACH stands for Authorisation, the last of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) processes to be implemented since the regulation entered into force in 2008. This article reviews the path to Authorisation and reports on key developments shared during the "Lessons Learnt on Applications for Authorisation" ECHA conference held 11 February, 2015.
April 16, 2015
Ohio Cuts Alternative Fuel Mandate In Transportation Budget
On April 1, 2015, the Governor of Ohio, John Kasich (R), signed the 2016-2017 Transportation Budget Bill (Sub. H.B. 53). The state transportation budget does not include a requirement on alternative fuel use in the state vehicle fleet, a requirement that had been in place since 2006. Ohio Department of Transportation's Matt Bruning stated that the requirement mandated the state increase the amount of alternative fuels each year with no cap in place, resulting in higher costs for the state,...
On April 9, 2015, the Pentagon released the Rocky Mountain/West Coast/Offshore Bulk Fuels Annual Buy (RMW) solicitation for biofuels on the FedBizOpps website. This purchase program supports the goal set by the Secretary of the Navy to have half of the Department of the Navy's energy come from alternative sources by 2020. Funding to defray additional biofuel costs for the RMW program is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Vendors can...
April 16, 2015
EPA Announces Timeline For Renewable Fuel Standards
On April 10, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia a proposed consent decree to resolve litigation challenging the delay in issuing Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) for 2014 and 2015 brought by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) against EPA. The consent decree would establish EPA's schedule for issuing a RFS for 2014 and 2015. In its filing, EPA stated that...
April 14, 2015
NNI Publishes Outcomes of the 2015 EU-U.S.: Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published on March 23, 2015, the outcomes of the March 12-13, 2015, joint workshop held by the U.S. and the European Union (EU), “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts.” The workshop was intended to promote and deepen the collaboration on nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research. Workshop participants reviewed progress toward U.S.-EU Communities of Research (COR) goals and objectives, shared best...
On March 24, 2015, the European Commission (EC) announced a call for data on the ingredient “colloidal silver (nano).” According to the EC, it has received notification of several cosmetics products containing the ingredient “colloidal silver (nano)” (CAS No. 7440-22-4). The EC states that although this ingredient is not regulated in the cosmetics regulation, it is reported in the Cosmetic Ingredients and Substances (CosIng) database with antimicrobial functions. According to the...
April 13, 2015
Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Eyes Nanoscale Materials,” Chemical Processing, April 13, 2015.
On April 6, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) rule concerning reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when manufactured (including imported) or processed at the nanoscale.