All Knowledge & Insights By Date

By Lynn L. Bergeson On September 5, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science announced an open meeting of the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee (BERAC). The purpose of the meeting will be to provide advice to the Office of Science Director on various technical issues that occur in the development and implementation of the Biological and Environmental Research Program. Tentative agenda topics listed by DOE include news from the Office of Science and the...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On September 3, 2019, Medium published an article by U.S. Senator and 2020 Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren where she outlines her plan for achieving 100 percent clean energy. Highlighting the fact that the United States is the world’s largest historical carbon polluter, Warren claims that the United States has a “special responsibility to lead the way” in the clean energy movement. As an original supporter of the Green...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On August 30, 2019, the National Chicken Council submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concerns with the proposed required volume obligations (RVO) for 2020 combined with the recent waiver that will increase the use of ethanol-15 (E15) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Representing companies that produce and process over 95 percent of the chicken in the United States, the National Chicken Council’s concerns are related to...

On September 11, 2019, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (EDT), the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) will host a webinar titled “Genetic Engineering: The Good, The Bad, and The Necessary.” The webinar is designed to cover the vast possibilities offered by genetic engineering in a world where regulatory officials face increasing pressure to guarantee global food security. Along with the many possibilities associated with genetic engineering, however, there are great concerns about the...

Live Kindly, “Edible Vegan Seaweed Pods Are the New Soda Bottles” Nikkei Asian Review, “Trapping CO2 into Concrete to Be Cheaper” Reuters, “Trump Promises Ethanol-related ‘Giant Package’ to Please Farmers” ZME Science, “This Fashionable Ski Jacket Is Made from Spider Silk Grown by Bacteria” Composites Manufacturing Magazine, “Lessons in Sustainability” Hellenic Shipping News, “Oil Industry Urges Trump Administration to...

On October 2, 2019, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a webinar on “Nanotechnology for a New Generation of Gas Sensors:  An Industrial Perspective on Fundamental, Applied, and Commercialization Aspects.”  According to the overview for the webinar, contemporary monitoring requirements of gases for applications ranging from environmental surveillance to medical diagnostics currently push the limit of existing detection.  The overview states that to...

On September 4, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new guidance intended to help methylene chloride processors and distributors comply with EPA’s March 2019 rule issued under Section 6(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) prohibiting the manufacture (including import), processing, or distribution in commerce of methylene chloride for consumer paint and coating removal.  The final rule became effective on May 28, 2019.  Each person who...

This week, I sat down with Scott Fulton, President of the Environmental Law Institute, on the occasion of ELI’s 50th anniversary. Scott is ELI’s 5th President. As a former ELI Board member myself and a practicing lawyer in the environmental space, I have known Scott for years given his many high profile roles as a former EPA General Counsel, Assistant Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, among other prominent positions. In our...

This week, I sat down with Scott Fulton, President of the Environmental Law Institute, on the occasion of ELI’s 50th anniversary. Scott is ELI’s 5th President. As a former ELI Board member myself and a practicing lawyer in the environmental space, I have known Scott for years given his many high profile roles as a former EPA General Counsel, Assistant Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, among other prominent positions. In our...

In a significant victory for industry, on August 27, 2019, the State of New York Supreme Court invalidated the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program (Disclosure Program).  Information related to NYDEC’s prior delay of its enforcement of its Disclosure Program is available here, and general information regarding the Program and its extensive requirements for manufacturers of certain consumer cleaning products to...