The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed on October 31, 2023, to ban all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) after determining that it presents an unreasonable risk of injury to human health under its conditions of use as documented in EPA’s November 2020 risk evaluation (2020 TCE RE) and January 2023 revised risk determination (2023 Revised RD) pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 88 Fed. Reg. 74712. According to EPA’s October 23, 2023, press...
On November 2, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it granted a petition filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address the use of the chemical N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) in tires. As reported in our August 9, 2023, blog item, on August 1, 2023, Earthjustice filed a citizen petition asking EPA to establish regulations prohibiting the manufacturing, processing, use, and distribution of 6PPD for and in...
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on October 25, 2023, that scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have developed biosensing technology that can help address the problem of plastic waste, specifically nylon-based waste, such as textiles, carpets, tires, and fishing nets. According to BETO, these and other products “are typically made from nylon-66, a common, very tough nylon made of a polymer building block called adipic acid...
On October 27, 2023, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice proposing changes to its Proposition 65 (Prop 65) Article 6 “clear and reasonable warnings” regulations for “short-form” warnings (Notice). OEHHA first proposed changes to the short-form warning requirements on January 8, 2021, with modifications proposed on December 13, 2021, and April 5, 2022. Industry was harshly critical of OEHHA’s proposal in written comments and during a...
On October 23, 2023, the Biden Administration announced the designation of 31 communities across the United States as Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs (Tech Hubs) through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration. According to the fact sheet, the Tech Hubs focus on developing and growing innovative industries in regions across the country, bringing together private industry, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, labor unions, Tribal...
November 2, 2023
TSCA Reform — Seven Years Later: Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Session
November 1, 2023
Adopt GREET Act Reintroduced in the Senate
On October 17, 2023, Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) reintroduced the Adopt Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) Act (S. 3055), a bipartisan bill directing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to update its greenhouse gas (GHG) modeling for all renewable fuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). According to Thune’s October 17, 2023, press release, the bill would require EPA to apply the Argonne National Lab’s...
The European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster (NSC) announced on October 24, 2023, that it is conducting a survey on the implementation of nanosafety in workplaces. NSC states that the survey aims to gather insights on the current practices and challenges of implementing nanosafety in workplaces. According to NSC, responses will help shape recommendations for future safety guidelines and protocols. NSC notes that participation will take approximately 15-20 minutes....
October 31, 2023
Waste to Advanced Resources Matter Workshop Will Be Held November 15-16, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on October 19, 2023, that North Carolina State University will hold the Waste to Advanced Resources Matter (WARM) workshop November 15-16, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina. With support from BETO, and in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, IBM, the Town of Cary, and Idaho National Laboratory, the workshop will bring together participants interested in carbon resource recovery from...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 19, 2023, a proposed rule that would amend the procedural framework rule for conducting risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2023, the proposed rule states that the purpose of risk evaluations under TSCA is to determine whether a chemical substance presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, without considering costs or...