All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On August 3, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of and solicited public comment on the document entitled “White Paper: Quantitative Human Health Approach to be Applied in the Risk Evaluation for Asbestos Part 2 — Supplemental Evaluation including Legacy Uses and Associated Disposals of Asbestos” (White Paper) and related charge questions. 88 Fed. Reg. 51309. EPA states that it will be soliciting comments from expert ad hoc reviewers on the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 8, 2023, that it is now accepting nominations for the 2024 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards from companies or institutions that have developed a new green chemistry process or product that helps protect human health and the environment. EPA states that its “efforts to speed the adoption of this revolutionary and diverse discipline have led to significant environmental benefits, innovation, and a strengthened economy.” The...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a two-day training on its high throughput toxicokinetic (HTTK) R package as part of its New Approach Methods (NAM) Training Program: According to EPA, toxicokinetics (TK) provides a bridge between toxicity and exposure assessment by predicting tissue concentrations due to exposure. EPA notes that traditional TK methods can be resource intensive and require chemical-specific data. EPA states that its freely available HTTK R...

On July 12, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule establishing the applicable volumes and percentage standards for 2023 through 2025 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. 88 Fed. Reg. 44468. The final rule also establishes the second supplemental standard addressing the judicial remand of the 2016 standard-setting rulemaking. Finally, according to EPA, the rule makes several regulatory changes to...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   On June 21, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that will establish the biofuel volume requirements from 2023 to 2025. According to EPA, the final rule “builds on the RFS program’s progress over the previous two years and reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen the nation’s energy independence, advance...

On May 16, 2023, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released publicly a report on its priority open recommendations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). GAO’s priority recommendations include three in the area of “assessing and controlling toxic chemicals.” According to GAO, EPA’s ability to protect effectively public health and the environment depends on credible and timely assessments of the risks posed by toxic chemicals, including per- and...

By Lisa R. Burchi, James V. Aidala, and Heather F. Collins, M.S. On May 31, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final rule exempting a class of plant-incorporated protectants (PIP) created using genetic engineering, from registration requirements under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and from the food or feed residue tolerance requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). 88 Fed. Reg. 34756. PIPs are pesticidal...

On May 3, 2023, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing entitled “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Environmental Protection Agency.” The only scheduled witness is Michael S. Regan, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On May 10, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials will hold a hearing on “The...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold training on May 23, 2023, on Generalized Read-Across (GenRA), a publicly available tool that uses an automated approach to make reproducible read-across predictions of toxicity. EPA states that read-across “is a commonly used data gap filling technique whereby endpoint information for one substance is used to predict the same endpoint for another substance, supported by structural or...

On March 27, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that its Safer Choice program is accepting submissions for its 2023 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards. 88 Fed. Reg. 18135. The Safer Choice program certifies products containing ingredients that have met the program’s specific and rigorous human health and environmental toxicological criteria. According to EPA, the Safer Choice program allows companies to use its label on certified products that contain safer...