By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 28, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced that, in partnership with its National Laboratories, it is dedicating the months of May and June to the public exploration of renewable biomass feedstocks used for the production of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower in support of the U.S. bioeconomy. This means that during the months of May and June 2019, BETO...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 29, 2019, DOE EERE’s BETO reminded funding applicants of the upcoming deadline for concept paper submissions for a $79 million funding opportunity for bioenergy research and development (R&D): June 3, 2019. In support of DOE’s goal to provide consumers and businesses with a range of domestic energy options that are affordable, reliable, and secure, this funding opportunity announcement focuses on advancing BETO’s objectives. It includes biopower,...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 22, 2019, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a bill (S. 1614) to amend the Clean Air Act (CAA) to modify the definition of “renewable biomass” under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The CAA currently prohibits the use of biomass from federal lands in the making of renewable fuels as defined by the RFS. The bill would allow the use of biomass from certain federal lands needing ecological restoration in the making of renewable fuels. The...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 22, 2019, DOE EERE announced Ohio State University’s year one win of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge. The EcoCAR competition, a four-year collegiate engineering competition focused on advancing energy technologies in the transportation sector, challenges universities to apply advanced propulsion systems, electrification, and other innovative technologies to transform their vehicles from design concept into reality. Sponsored by General Motors and...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 28, 2019, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) posted a podcast “Inside OCSPP with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn” to its All Things Chemical™ web page. In its podcast, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner of B&C, presented a very special guest, the Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP): Alexandra Dapolito Dunn....
May 31, 2019
Weekly Roundup of Other Biobased News
Oil & Gas 360, “Pöyry Launches Plastics ToBio Concept Aiming to Solve the Global Plastics Problem and Replace Fossil Based Plastics with Bio-Based Raw Materials” Journal of Commerce, “Provincial Government Announces New Innovation Fund for Energy-efficient Buildings” ScienceNordic, “From Lethal Spider Toxins to Eco-friendly Pesticides” Forbes, “Ethanol Industry Suffers a Court Defeat” De zeen, “Aivan Grows Headphones from Fungus and...
May 30, 2019
OECD Publishes New Reports in Series on Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials, Including Tour de Table
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has posted the following reports in its Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials — Tour de Table: The Tour de Table compiles information provided by delegations on the occasion of the 19th meeting of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) in February 2019. It aims to summarize relevant information on activities...
On May 21, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that “to increase transparency and ensure information is easily accessible,” it has created a new web-based table of the most recent pesticide registration review actions that contains a list of the registration review actions EPA has taken over the current fiscal year, including the chemical name, docket number, and public comment period when applicable. EPA will update the table each time a registration...
May 30, 2019
California DPR Announces Changes to California-like Conditions for Terrestrial Field Dissipation Studies
On May 29, 2019, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released California Notice 2019-05: Changes to California Notice 2018-06: California-like Conditions for Terrestrial Field Dissipation Studies (Notice 2019-05), which updates the guidance in California Notice 2018-06: California-like Conditions for Terrestrial Field Dissipation Studies (Notice 2018-06). Notice 2018-06, issued in January of 2018, provided to applicants for California registration...
On May 28, 2019, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) posted a new presentation identifying the top ten agricultural pesticide use violations of 2018. Its announcement states that “DPR suggests reviewing these common violations of pesticide laws and regulations to help ensure … compliance.” The presentation, “Top 10 Agricultural Pesticide Use Violations of 2018,” is available here. The violations are listed from the least common (number 10) to...