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ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, July 14-16, 2015, North Bethesda, Maryland The longest running green chemistry conference in the United States, American Chemical Society Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference invites scientists, decision-makers, students, and advocates to come together, compare findings, and discuss the science of the future. BRAG is a proud sponsor. Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., will present a session on July 16, 2015, regarding how the Toxic...

After over a year of review and revision, on June 25, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection Solid Waste and Chemical Management Center (MEP-SCC) published the “Guidance for New Chemical Substance Notification and Registration (Draft)” (Guidance) for public comment. The deadline to submit comments to MEP-SCC regarding the Guidance is July 31, 2015. Comments should be submitted to MEP-SCC via e-mail (guidance@mepscc.cn). In addition, MEP-SCC will hold a meeting to...

The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources‘ Young Lawyers Division presented a fascinating webinar on June 23, 2015, on the key areas of alignment and non-alignment between the European Union’s (EU) and the United States’ approach to chemical management by exploring the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  The webinar was...

With the 20th Annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards (PGCCA) ceremony drawing near, the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group's (BRAG®) Biobased News and Policy Report decided to go back and revisit some early winners to see what has become of the award-winning product or technology. We will be running a new story each week as we approach this year's awards ceremony, occurring July 13, 2015, at 4:00 p.m. (EDT), at the National Academies of...

On June 11, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a meeting on its Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) proposed rule concerning reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when manufactured or processed at the nanoscale. Jeff Morris, Deputy Director for Programs, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), and Jim Alwood, OPPT Chemical Control Division, provided further insight into EPA’s goals, directives, and...

On June 11, 2015, the European Union (EU) provided UPM's ValChem project with €13.1 million to demonstrate the wood to chemicals value chain. ValChem is working to produce chemical building blocks and lignin from wood, resulting in a sustainable integrated process to produce economically viable biochemicals. UPM will work with Sekab, METabolic EXplorer, and Technische Universität Darmstadt on the ValChem project, which has a budget of €18.5 million. ValChem will use...

On June 3, 2015, the General Court of the European Court of Justice issued a ruling in Luxembourg Pamol (Cyprus) Ltd. and Luxembourg Industries Ltd. (Luxembourg) vs. European Commission regarding the publication of information by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its peer reviewed draft assessment report of potassium phosphonate that Luxembourg claimed as confidential.  The case was brought by Luxembourg after EFSA rejected Luxembourg’s claim that certain information...

On May 28, 2015, several United States and Canadian regulatory agencies announced the release of Regulatory Partnership Statements (RPS) and updated annual Work Plans outlining the framework for how these agencies will cooperate and coordinate specified agency actions.  The RPS and Work Plans are the most recent steps since the United States and Canada established the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) in 2011 to align regulatory systems and boost North American trade and...

On May 22, 2015, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a call for new scientific information relevant to the evaluation of the risk to bees in the European Union (EU) from the use of the three neonicotinoid pesticide active substances:  clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam (the substances). The call for data complies with the decision taken by the European Commission in May 2013, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 485/2013, to put in place measures to...

? CHS, "CHS Acquires Patriot Renewable Fuels Ethanol Plant" ? Oak Ridge National Laboratory, "BESC, Mascoma Develop Revolutionary Microbe For Biofuel Production" ? WSU News, "Alaska Airlines Plans Biofuel Test Flight In WSU Partnership" ? Solvay, "Solvay Opens Biotechnology Laboratory In Brazil To Boost Innovation In Sustainable Chemistry From Biomass" ? Reuters, "ADM Suspends German Biodiesel Plant Output On Uncertain Demand" ? st1, "St1...