EPA

EPA Publishes Final Rule on Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additional Chemical Data In The Federal Register

On March 29, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additional Chemical Data final rule in the Federal Register. This final rule amends the list of chemical substances that are partially exempt from additional reporting requirements under the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule. The rule applies to six biodiesel chemicals that are very similar to petroleum based biodiesel chemicals that are already on the exempt list. EPA determined that CDR processing and use information for these chemical substances is of low current interest and, while the chemical substances can be removed from the exempt list in the future, manufacturers are now exempt from submitting processing and use information for:

• Fatty acids, C14-18 and C16-18 unsaturated, methyl esters (Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) No. 67762-26-9);
   
• Fatty acids, C16-18 and C-18 unsaturated, methyl esters (CAS No. 67762-38-3);
   
• Fatty acids, canola oil, methyl esters (CAS No.129828-16-6);
   
• Fatty acids, corn oil, methyl esters (CAS No. 515152-40-6);
   
• Fatty acids, tallow, methyl esters (CAS No. 61788-61-2); and
   
• Soybean oil, methyl esters (CAS No. 67784-80-9).

This exemption was created after the Biobased and Renewable Advocacy Group (BRAG^®) petitioned EPA in 2014 to create an equivalent exemption for six biodiesel versions of petroleum based chemicals that were already exempt from submitting processing and use information under the CDR rule.

Canon Receives 2016 ENERGY STAR Partner Of The Year -- Product Brand Owner Award From EPA

On March 28, 2016, EPA awarded the 2016 ENERGY STAR "Partner of the Year -- Product Brand Owner Award" to Canon U.S.A. (Canon). Canon has contributed to EPA's mission of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by manufacturing energy efficient products, including the use of biobased plastics for select parts. The energy efficient technology also includes features to reduce waste, provide low energy consumption, and increase environmental sustainability.

DOD

U.S. Air Force Testing BioBased Vehicle Oil Created From Canola Seed, Soybean, And Synthetic Petroleum

On March 22, 2016, a team visited Malmstrom Air Force Base to test a new biobased synthetic oil in the base's vehicles. The testing is sponsored by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, with four bases chosen to use the plant based synthetic oil in vehicles. The Department of Homeland Security's Law Enforcement Training Center has also begun testing the oil and will be monitoring the impacts on vehicle performance and engine quality over the next 12-18 months. George Handy, the project manager, stated that the use of biobased oil is not expected to result in "any change in the performance of any of the vehicles because they are already running on synthetic fuels." If the testing goes well, the biobased oil will be available to purchase through normal channels, improving national security through the use of a domestically produced sustainable product.