EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) in a new draft report is urging the agency to create the position of a top scientist that would oversee and coordinate all agency scientific work with the Office of Research and Development (ORD), lending new weight to similar calls from House Democrats and several other advisory groups.1035 words

EPA officials are preparing additional guidance for companies subject to its new Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule, which the officials say will address industry concerns with how to report data on byproducts and other compounds and should be completed by the time the submission period begins Feb. 1.1409 words

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is expected to soon release its long-awaited review of carcinogenicity studies performed by a controversial Italian laboratory, studies relating to six of EPA's major chemical risk assessments, which the agency was forced to "hold" after an initial NTP review of one of the studies found inconsistencies.873 words

EPA is rejecting calls from water utilities to consider early use of its pending methodology for harmonizing the way that its water and pesticides offices screen pesticide risks to aquatic life for use in registration decisions, prompting concerns that utilities will bear the burden of new water quality requirements rather than pesticide manufacturers.1060 words

Canada's health agency is backing EPA's recently released draft assessment of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), which is used as a metal strengthener and other purposes, pushing back against industry concerns that the agency's assessment is too stringent and may hurt American processors of the substance.669 words

EPA is defending its recently released draft water quality criteria for protecting against human health risks associated with bacterial contamination at beaches from criticisms leveled by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and environmentalists who charge the agency has failed to use recent epidemiological data that they say suggests the need for stricter limits than what the agency proposed.533 words

EPA's Office of Inspector General (IG) says the agency's recently issued plan to improve its Endocrine Disruptor Screening program (EDSP) -- known as EDSP21 -- falls short of some recent IG recommendations to improve the program's management and speed its implementation.785 words

An EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) panel this week will discuss its Jan. 19 draft report that asks the agency to back away from its plan to develop a carbon dioxide (CO2) accounting framework to determine lifecycle emissions from biomass and suggests alternatives such as including biomass emissions in some greenhouse gas (GHG) permits.1180 words

A top adviser to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is ranking the agency's core environmental concerns related to hydraulic fracturing, with strains on water supply as a top issue.836 words

A key group of White House business advisers is urging the administration to voluntarily strengthen the process it uses to review EPA's and other agencies' rules, including increasing the use of pre-rulemaking efforts to better justify the need for new regulations and crafting mechanisms to allow regular review of existing rules' costs and benefits.764 words

EPA is urging New York to tighten limits for radioactive constituents in wastewater generated from hydraulic fracturing operations in the state's pending draft rules for natural gas development, a move that environmentalists hope indicates how the agency will address the risk in its own pending water quality pretreatment standards for the shale gas industry.1245 words

Environmentalists and the Teamsters, a key labor union, are strongly urging EPA and top White House officials to release the long-awaited risk assessment of the ubiquitous environmental contaminant dioxin this month, as Administrator Lisa Jackson has promised, according to a flurry of letters sent to the agency over the past week.1402 words