The Environmental Protection Agency will accept emailed copies of notices of arrival under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act in lieu of paper copies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said in a notice on its website. Normally, notices of arrival may be submitted via ACE or by signed paper copy mailed to the regional EPA import coordinator, but the agency’s shift to telework during the pandemic means “coordinators will have limited or no ability to receive documents through these channels,” EPA sad. “Therefore, they are accepting them via e-mail. Please contact your regional coordinator for specific instructions.”

The Food and Drug Administration on March 25 issued a new guidance document detailing its enforcement policy for face masks and respirators during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The policy is intended to “help expand the availability of general use face masks for the general public and particulate filtering facepiece respirators (including N95 respirators) for health care professionals during this pandemic.” It includes information on enforcement for face masks and respirators not intended for medical purposes, face masks intended for medical purposes but not intended to provide liquid barrier protection, and surgical masks. It also sets out FDA’s intended approach for emergency use authorizations for masks and respirators, including for reprocessing of filtering facepiece respirators.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for three chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due April 17.

On March 3 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for six chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due March 25.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for six chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Feb. 18.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule to allow fuel suppliers, including importers, to distribute distillate diesel that complies with international marine fuel sulfur standards instead of more stringent U.S. standards. Effective Dec. 18, distillate diesel fuel that complies with Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Annex VI) may be distributed in the U.S., as long as it is not used in EPA emission control areas.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 19 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Jan. 6.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 26 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Dec. 4.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule setting new significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for eight chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs). As a result of the SNURs, persons planning to manufacture, import or process any of the chemicals for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this rule are required to notify EPA at least 90 days in advance. Importers of chemicals subject to these SNURs will need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements, and exporters of these chemicals will now become subject to export notification requirements. The final rule takes effect Dec. 27.