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Berkeley Lab, “Greener Days Ahead for Carbon Fuels” StockMarketWire, “Biome Receives Further Grant Funding to Support Project Aimed at Eliminating Plastic Waste” Biofuels International, “Gevo and Renmatrix to Evaluate Creation of Renewable Jet Fuel” Phys.org, “Researchers Advance Biomass Transformation Process” University of Arkansas News, “Grants Fund Research on Biofuel Production, Reduced Fertilizer Use” Ireland AgriLand, “Road...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted the transcript for the October 30, 2018, webinar on its revised draft document entitled Current Intelligence Bulletin:  Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials.  As reported in our September 19, 2018, blog item, the revised draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) provides an updated scientific literature review of information pertaining to occupational exposure to silver nanomaterials....

On December 20, 2018, Bloomberg Environment spoke with Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), for the article “‘Calamitous’ Harm Possible for EPA Chemical Program in Shutdown.” Shutting the government down could have particularly severe effects on the EPA’s oversight of chemicals in commerce and further delay the entry of new chemicals onto the market, two attorneys specializing in chemical policy told Bloomberg Environment. “If...

On December 18, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) issued an order granting in part respondent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) motion for partial voluntary remand of certain provisions of its final rule on Procedures for Chemicals Risk Evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Specifically, EPA’s motion for partial voluntary remand, filed August 6, 2018, sought remand with vacatur of 40 C.F.R. Section 702.31(d) (Penalty...

On December 19, 2018, Bloomberg Environment spoke with Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), for the article “2019 Outlook: ‘Most Active Year Yet’ Looms on EPA Chemical Rules.” The EPA didn’t reply to a question about how many people are working in its chemicals office but said it was allowed to hire up to 340 in fiscal year 2018, an increase from 311 in the previous year. The agency said it couldn’t comment on how many people...

On December 12, 2018, the House passed the Conference Report for H.R. 2 (the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill) to provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through fiscal year 2023. The Senate passed the Conference Report on December 11, 2018. Sec. 10101. Specialty crops market news allocation. Sec. 10102. Local agriculture market program. Sec. 10103. Organic...

In December 2018, the International Standardization Organization (ISO) published standard SO/TS 16195:2018, “Nanotechnologies — Specification for developing representative test materials consisting of nano-objects in dry powder form.”  The standard specifies development of representative test materials consisting of nano-objects in dry powder form to enable test method development and improve comparability of data for nanotechnology applications.  The standard specifies that for...

On December 12, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed joint stipulation and proposed stipulated notice of dismissal for Ellis v. Keigwin, No. 3:13-CV-1266 (N.D. Cal).  83 Fed. Reg. 63865.  The Federal Register notice states that the parties are “proposing to reach a settlement in the form of a joint stipulation" that would, among other provisions “set a June 30, 2022, deadline for EPA to complete ESA [Endangered Species...

Big retailers strive to source products responsibly. This typically includes recognition of chemicals in the products they market. As part of its commitment to responsible sourcing, Amazon recently posted its Chemicals Policy, which includes its first Restricted Substance List (RSL). This column discusses this milestone.

By Lynn L. Bergeson On December 11, 2018, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced that registration is now open for the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) 2019 Project Peer Review. The event will take place in Denver, Colorado, from March 4-8, 2019. BETO’s early-stage research and development portfolio is to be presented to the public and reviewed by experts from academia, industry, and federal agencies. The portfolio includes...