SNUR Issued for TCE
Following through on an August 2015 proposal, the EPA has issued a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) for trichloroethylene (TCE) when manufactured or processed for use in a consumer product (exceptions apply).
Category: Regulatory Developments
Federal Aquatic Life Criteria for Cadmium Revised
Applying what it calls the “latest scientific information,” the EPA has updated its recommended aquatic life water quality criteria for cadmium. This is the fifth time—and the first time since 2001—that the Agency has changed the recommended criteria for cadmium since they were first issued 1980. There are four recommended criteria—two each (acute and chronic) […]
PHMSA Issues Rule for Returning Consumer Hazardous Materials
In a final action taken largely in response to a petition it received in 2008, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a final rule establishing a new section (49 CFR 173.157) in its hazardous materials regulations (HMRs) covering reverse logistics highway shipments of certain hazardous materials hazardous materials.
Road Builder Group Files Suit Against OSHA for Silica Rule
As expected, the road building and manufacturing industries have come out swinging in response to OSHA’s final silica rule, announced late last month. Find out who’s suing whom, and who’s threatening what.
More HFC Restrictions in SNAP Proposal
Consistent with President Obama’s June 2013 Climate Action Plan, the EPA is using its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) to propose restrictions on the end uses of certain hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), approve new alternatives to substances with high global warming potential (GWP), and change the status of other substances already on the SNAP list.
Air Monitoring Rules for Criteria Pollutants Amended
As part of their Clean Air Act (CAA) responsibilities to implement the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), state and local air agencies must monitor for the presence of NAAQS pollutants (formally, criteria air pollutants) in the ambient air and report the monitored data to the EPA. The relevant regulations at 40 CFR Part 58 […]
CDR Exemption List Amended!
A final rule was published in the March 29, 2016 Federal Register that amends the list of chemical substances that are partially exempt from reporting processing and use information under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule.
OSHA’s Issues Final Rule on Silica
On March 24, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez announced a long-awaited final rule to improve protections for workers exposed to respirable silica dust. The rule is expected to save more than 600 lives annually and to prevent more than 900 cases of silicosis.
Bill Would Block Regulation of Converted Race Cars
The 629-page proposal the EPA/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published (July 13, 2015, Federal Register (FR)) to set Phase II GHG emissions and fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles contained a few short paragraphs from the EPA that caused a major uproar in the auto racing community.
EPA Proposes Mitigation Measures for Lethal Pesticide
The EPA is proposing mitigation measures to minimize human health incidents associated with paraquat dichloride.