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By Lynn L. Bergeson On May 21, 2018, the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), in partnership with industry sponsors, announced a series of five seminars for fuel wholesalers, distributors, retailers, marketers, fleets, municipalities, and other end users focusing on benefits and opportunities surrounding biodiesel. The complimentary series, Exploring Biodiesel (XBX), will be held in the following regions: Boston, MA (June 12, 2018); Philadelphia, PA (July 18, 2018); Los Angeles, CA (August 7,...

Sandia National Laboratories, “Riding Bacterium to the Bank” Biomass Magazine, “NREL Discovers Enzyme Domains that Improve Performance” Neste, “City of San Leandro in California Switches Its Municipal Vehicles to Run on Neste MY Renewable Diesel”

On May 23, 2018, the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published an article entitled “Nordic information campaign on REACH-relevant regulation for nanomaterials.”  According to EUON, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are coordinating an information campaign through the N-Nano project group of the Nordic Chemical Working Group of the Nordic Council of Ministers.  The goal of the campaign is to develop a web-based tool to provide information on European Union...

On May 22-23, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) National Leadership Summit (Summit) in Washington, D.C.  The Summit convened federal and state regulators, including representatives from EPA’s Office of Water (OW), EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), a small group of invited industry participants, and...

The May 2018 ECHA Newsletter includes an interview with Robert Johansson, Head of the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s (KEMI) Chemical Statistics and Registries Unit.  As reported in our December 7, 2017, blog item, KEMI has established a mandatory reporting scheme to obtain information on the quantities and types of nanomaterials used in Sweden, with the first reports due in February 2019.  According to Johansson, “[t]his information can then provide a basis for...

There are approximately three months until the effective date of the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) revisions to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations. By August 30, 2018, companies must comply with the revised regulations for consumer products, occupational, and environmental exposures. Companies that have not already revised warnings to comply with the new requirements must now review their consumer...

On May 23, 2018, Bloomberg Environment quoted Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) regarding Erik Baptist, senior deputy general counsel, joining EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) as a deputy assistant administrator and senior counsel.  Other regulatory offices within the EPA have attorneys to help them, Lynn Bergeson, managing partner with the Washington, D.C., office of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.,...

Any company that plans to submit or has pending a new chemical notification under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) needs to join the TSCA New Chemicals Coalition (TSCA NCC) -- the only coalition focused principally on TSCA Section 5 issues. The TSCA NCC has been relentlessly engaging with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Congress on identifying and addressing real-world issues arising out of EPA’s...

On May 16, 2018, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) announced the availability of six case studies intended to help stakeholders understand how the categorization process for new industrial chemicals will work under the new Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS).  The case studies cover typical scenarios for introducing cosmetic and non-cosmetic new chemicals, and show how introducers would categorize chemicals as...

On May 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposed a rule to establish the first ever National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) mandated by Congress in 2016. This column discusses the proposal, what it intends to achieve, and its implications.