EPA will close the comment period this week on questions for gathering effluent data from facilities that manufacture or formulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Meanwhile, agency advisors will meet to discuss homeland security-related research.
PFAS Discharges
The comment period closes May 17 on EPA’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) outlining information on PFAS manufacturers and formulators that the agency has collected to date. The ANPRM also seeks additional information on discharges from these facilities to inform future revisions to wastewater discharge requirements that apply to the Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF) point source category.
EPA will host a May 18 webinar titled “Modeling PFAS Air Emissions, Chemistry, and Deposition.” The webinar will discuss air quality modeling techniques being developed to quantify the atmospheric air concentrations and deposition rates of PFAS from large fluorochemical manufacturers.
The Mintz law firm is holding a May 20 webinar titled “PFAS, PFAS All Around: What’s Next?” The webinar will discuss why people are concerned about PFAS and what the discovery of PFAS at sites means for real estate transactions.
BOSC Meeting
EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) Homeland Security Subcommittee is meeting virtually May 17-21 to discuss the agency’s Homeland Security 2019-2022 Strategic Research Action Plan.
Climate Change
The comment period ends May 17 on a draft EPA document titled “Technical Documentation for the Temperature Binning Framework.” The document was prepared by the Office of Atmospheric Programs within EPA's Office of Air and Radiation and provides technical documentation of a framework for analyzing the sector-specific impacts of climate change under different levels of warming. This approach serves as an alternative or complement to traditional scenario-based approaches in order to improve communication of results, comparability between studies, and flexibility to facilitate scenario analysis.
Ceres is hosting a May 18 webinar titled “The Role of Natural Climate Solutions in Corporate Climate Commitments: A Spotlight on Investor Engagement.” The webinar will launch a new publication by Ceres and IIGCC, “The Role of Natural Climate Solutions in Corporate Climate Commitments: A Brief for Investors."
TSCA Rules
The comment period ends May 17 on the Biden administration’s request for additional public input on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) rules issued at the end of the Trump administration to address five persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals that EPA determined met the criteria for expedited action under TSCA. The chemicals are 2,4,6-tris(tert-butyl)phenol (2,4,6-TTBP); decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE); phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)); pentachlorothiophenol (PCTP); and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD).
Toxics Release Inventory
EPA is hosting a May 20 webinar that will provide an overview of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) and kick off a series of webinars to mark the 35th anniversary of TRI.
Biodiversity Loss
The Senate Environment and Public Work Committee will hold a May 19 hearing titled “Examining Biodiversity Loss: Drivers, Impacts, and Potential Solutions.”
Wetlands Awards
The Environmental Law Institute is hosting a May 19 webinar to honor winners of the 2021 National Wetlands Awards.
