Tag: Chemicals

5 Important Steps to Chemical Security Compliance

Dangerous chemicals necessitate adequate security to mitigate risks. If you are a facility with a chemical designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a chemical of interest (COI), you may only have 60 days after taking possession of the COI to initiate a security screening process under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards […]

Fire

RMP Regulations and the West, Texas, Explosion

The tragic explosion of fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate at the West, Texas, distribution facility in April 2013 has had a powerful impact on the direction of the EPA’s implementation of the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program (RMP, CAA Section 112(r)).

Chemicals

Ability to Request CBI Expanded Under TSCA

The June 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) expanded the categories of persons who may request confidential business information (CBI) about chemicals, which regulated entities submitted to the EPA.

Chemical Group Added to TRI List

The Trump EPA has issued a final rule to add a nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) category to the list of toxic chemicals subject to reporting under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and Section 6607 of the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA). The rule had been proposed by the Obama-era EPA and […]

Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling GHS chemicals hazcom

Safety 2018: Chemical Knowing vs. Understanding—Where Do We Set the Bar?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard gives workers the right to know about the chemicals and chemical hazards in their workplace. But is knowing enough? This was the question addressed by Ann Lindsey, Vice President of Decision Point Associates, at the American Society of Safety Professionals’ (ASSP) Safety 2018 Conference and […]

Court Denies Greenpeace the Names of De-Tiered CFATS Facilities

A 6-year effort by Greenpeace to obtain information about facilities removed from the high-risk lists developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under its Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) was turned back by a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

First 10 Chemicals Announced for TSCA Evaluations

Asbestos—a known human carcinogen the EPA was virtually powerless to regulate under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)—is the most noticeable member of the Agency’s list of the first 10 chemicals it will evaluate under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which amended the 1976 law. Other well-known chemicals […]

EPA Names Five PBT Chemicals for Expedited Action

The new section 6(h) of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which greatly expanded the reach of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), requires that within 3 years of the June 22, 2016, date of enactment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must propose rules to reduce risks (by reducing […]