EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR) will hold a free full-day workshop on the 2016 Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Final Rule. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 7, 2018, in Arlington, VA, from 8:30 to 3:00 PM. The workshop will cover all the major provisions of the rule, looking at regulatory […]
The EPA Fall 2017 Regulatory Agenda defers Agency action on three chemicals for which the proposed rules had indicated bans would be forthcoming: Methylene chloride in paint strippers, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in paint strippers, and Trichloroethylene (TCE) as a spot cleaner in dry-cleaning and as a degreasing agent. The rulemakings are listed as “long-term actions” and […]
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) received numerous inquiries related to the interpretation and application of several provisions of the August 2016 amendments to the Article 6 Clear and Reasonable Warnings regulations. OEHHA determined that clarification of certain provisions of the new regulations “would be beneficial to the regulated community.” As such, on […]
On December 4, 2017, the EPA announced a “a cross-agency effort to address per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).” The press release notes that the PFAS effort will include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), as well as GenX, a substance developed as a replacement for the older chemicals. The Agency pledged to: Identify a […]
Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 2PM ET, Irene Hantman and Kurt Blase will conduct a webinar for the American Chemical Society on New Requirements for Chemicals in Commerce – Chemical Regulation under TSCA Reform. Register for the webinar here. The Lautenberg amendments to TSCA impose new reporting requirements on chemicals in commerce through Inventory Reset […]
(This post is an adaptation of an article published in the November 2017 newsletter of the Air Quality Committee, a committee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. A PDF of the article is available here.) By Kurt Blase EPA Administrator Pruitt has announced a new “Back-to-Basics Agenda” to “refocus” EPA on its […]
On November 30, 2017, EPA published a final determination, as required under the amended TSCA, that an update is warranted to the size standards for small manufacturers and processors currently used to determine which small businesses are exempt from reporting regulations under TSCA Section 8(a). EPA’s determination was made after reviewing public comments and consulting […]
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is seeking public comment on its proposal to list Paint and Varnish Strippers Containing Methylene Chloride as a Priority Product. The comment period opened on November 17, 2017. It will close January 18, 2018. The proposed regulation is available on the agency’s website. If the regulation is […]
A Massachusetts sand and gravel company, Kimball Sand, has agreed in a settlement with EPA to conduct opacity testing at one of its operations and to replace three stationary engines with newer, cleaner engines. The company also paid a penalty of $120,000 for violations of the applicable new source performance standard (opacity) and the air […]
EPA is holding two meetings in December to discuss ongoing implementation activities under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, which amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). On December 11, 2017 EPA is holding the second public meeting on possible approaches for identifying potential candidate chemicals for EPA’s prioritization process under TSCA. The meeting will […]
