Category: International

June 25, 2018

Second Workshop on Quantifying Exposure to Engineered Nanomaterials from Manufactured Products Will Be Held in October

The “2nd Quantifying Exposure to Engineered Nanomaterials from Manufactured Products (QEEN II) Workshop” will be held October 9-10, 2018, in Washington, D.C.  Sponsored by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and co-hosted by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), the Workshop will highlight new research on the tools and methods available to characterize and quantify effective population exposures, as well as the presence and release potential of...
June 22, 2018

Brian Xu, M.D., Ph.D., DABT®, Quoted in Nature Article “US–Chinese Trade War Puts Scientists In The Cross Hairs”

On June 22, 2018, Brian Xu, M.D., Ph.D., DABT®, Toxicologist with Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), was quoted by Nature regarding proposed Chinese tariffs on U.S. chemicals and scientific equipment. Brian Xu, a toxicologist for the scientific consulting firm ACTA in Washington DC, which works with businesses in mainland China, agrees that China’s proposal to place tariffs on US chemicals and scientific equipment is unlikely to have a major effect on Chinese research....
June 22, 2018

EU Agrees On New Targets For Renewables

By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 14, 2018, the European Union (EU) reached a deal on the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII),which sets new targets for renewables. REDII represents stricter targets than those discussed in Brussels in 2014, upping the percentage of the EU’s energy that must come from renewable sources to 32 percent of total energy consumption by 2030. The agreement also states that at least 14 percent of transportation fuel must come from renewable...
June 22, 2018

Algae Technology Educational Consortium Announces First Graduates

By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 18, 2018, DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)-funded Algae Technology Educational Consortium (ATEC) announced its first graduates from the algal certificate program at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  DOE states that these first ATEC graduates “received their Associate Applied Science Degree in Controlled Environment Agriculture with a certificate in Algae Cultivation” on May 12, 2018. The program was conceptualized...
June 15, 2018

Recent Federal Developments – June 2018

Lynn L. Bergeson, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., And Susan M. Kirsch Contribute To ABA SEER’s The Year In Review 2017: Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to announce the publication of The Year in Review 2017: Environment, Energy, and Resources Law by the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER). The Year in Review 2017 provides an annual summary of developments in environmental, energy, and resources law....
June 15, 2018

Brazil Sets Target To Reduce Fuel Emissions Ten Percent By 2028

By Lynn L. Bergeson On June 5, 2018, Brazil’s National Energy Policy Council (CNPE) set a target to reduce fuel emissions ten percent by 2028. These targets are part of the RenovaBio law, passed in December 2017, that aims to meet Brazil’s commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement by increasing the share of ethanol and biodiesel in Brazil’s fuel mix and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Andre Rocha, president of the National Sugarcane/Ethanol Forum, a group of...
June 12, 2018

EUON Updates Website, Adds Two Searchable Databases

On June 11, 2018, the European Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced that its website now features the following two searchable databases, NanoData and eNanoMapper: EUON states that it has also revamped its home page with more dynamic content, including the latest news on nanomaterials and nanotechnology from the web.  The update includes new information about nanomaterials within the EU regulatory framework, how they are used in different sectors, such as food, medicine,...
June 8, 2018

Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News

PR Newswire, “Ground-breaking bio-based dry cleaning solvent to be produced by Green Biologics and Kreussler Chemicals” Attis Industries, “Attis Industries Converts Corn Ethanol Coproducts into Biobased Grocery Bags" Sealed Air, “Sealed Air to Offer Plantic™ Bio-Based Food Packaging in the United States, Canada and Mexico” Phys.org, “Renewable solvents derived from lignin lowers waste in biofuel production”...
June 7, 2018

New York Launches Disclosure Program Intended to Protect Consumers from Chemicals in Household Cleaning Products

In somewhat of a surprise announcement, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) on June 6, 2018, released its final policy and form for manufacturer disclosures under the Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program. The Disclosure Program is similar to the recently enacted California Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017 which requires the disclosure of cleaning product ingredients by way of website or product label. The Household...
June 7, 2018

Richard E. Engler Presents “New TSCA and Green Chemistry Innovation” at ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry at The Acta Group (Acta®) and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), will present “New TSCA and Green Chemistry Innovation” in the “Real-World Sustainability Challenges: Incentives and Barriers to the Use of Green Chemistry in Products” session on June 18, 2018, at the 22nd Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference (GC&E) hosted by the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Green...