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The EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) on October 14, 2021, announced several actions to enhance scientific integrity and strengthen chemical safety reviews. These actions include the establishment of two new internal science policy advisory councils, the creation of a senior-level science policy advisor to the assistant administrator, and improvements to existing […]
The 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the EPA’s GHG Reporting Program (GHGRP) revealed that reported emissions from large industrial sources were 9% lower than in 2019. The EPA released the information on October 6, 2021, and attributes the decrease to “both the economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing, long-term industry […]
In a keynote speech at the Product Stewardship Society’s annual meeting on September 28, 2021, Michal Freedhoff, head of the EPA chemical program, “clearly articulated an intent by the Agency to reverse course and aggressively seek to regulate finished articles under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA),” according to an analysis in JD Supra by […]
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) called for stricter environmental and occupational safety regulations to help prevent reactive chemical accidents, like an explosion and fire at AB Specialty Silicones’ Waukegan, Illinois, facility. CSB reiterated an earlier recommendation for the EPA to revise its risk management plan (RMP) regulations and for the Occupational […]
Congress enacted the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act on December 27, 2021, which gives the EPA authority to: Phase down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC). Maximize reclamation, and minimize HFC releases from equipment. Facilitate the transition to next-generation technologies through sector-based restrictions on HFCs. The final rule, issued by the EPA in late […]
The EPA announced it transmitted the final 2020 Missouri Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303 (d) List of Impaired Waters to the state on September 13, 2021. CWA Section 303(d) requires states to submit their lists of impaired waters to the EPA for approval every two years. “The 303(d) List is an important water quality […]
On September 17, 2021, the EPA proposed amendments to the National Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Emission Standards for Aerosol Coatings, which establish reactivity-based emissions standards for the aerosol coatings category under the Clean Air Act (CAA). “In this action, the EPA is proposing to update coating category product-weighted reactivity limits for aerosol coatings categories; add […]
The EPA on September 16 rescinded its guidance document entitled “Applying the Supreme Court’s County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund Decision in the Clean Water Act Section 402 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Program.” This guidance document was issued on January 14, 2021, by the Trump administration. “Using the tools provided by the […]
The EPA on September 8 issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) and called for public comments in the potential development of regulations for pyrolysis and gasification units that are used to convert solid or semisolid feedstocks into useful products. The feedstocks include solid waste (municipal solid waste, commercial and industrial waste, hospital/medical/infectious waste, […]
The EPA announced September 3 it will initiate new rulemaking and plans to propose new rules for five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals subject to risk management rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In conjunction with this announcement, the EPA is also taking action to provide an extension on the compliance dates […]