The EPA has published a final rule, effective July 8, imposing import certification and export notification requirements for methylene chloride, a chemical that has killed those using it as a paint stripper and for bathtub refinishing.
The EPA on April 10 filed a complaint against California engine lubricant seller USA Wholesale for illegally importing hydrofluorocarbons via a New Mexico port in 2022, marking the first time the agency has filed such a complaint under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020, the agency announced.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 30 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, it said in a notice published in the April 8 Federal Register. 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 by May 8. The SNURs would cover the following chemical substances:
EPA seeks comments by May 3 to inform its development of potential regulations that could restrict imports of lead wheel-balancing weights. The agency says it may issue a proposed rule under Toxic Substances Control Act Section 6(a) if it finds “unreasonable risk to human health and the environment” from exposure to lead wheel weights, which it said may be a source of lead exposure when they fall off wheels or are otherwise handled.
Chemical and industrial materials producer Resonac, which reached a settlement with EPA this week for allegedly illegally importing hydrofluorocarbons, said in a March 22 email that it “takes this matter seriously and is committed to preventing any future recurrence." The company will pay about $416,000 to settle charges it illegally imported more than 6,000 pounds of HFCs and failed to notify EPA about the shipments (see 2403210051).
The American subsidiary of a Japanese chemical and industrial materials producer will pay about $416,000 to settle charges that it illegally imported hydrofluorocarbons, EPA announced March 21. The agency said Resonac America Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Resonac Corp., illegally imported 6,208 pounds of HFCs on three separate occasions in 2023 at the Port of Los Angeles, and it failed to notify EPA about another shipment that was planned for February.
EPA is setting new emissions standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles with model years 2027 through 2032 and beyond, the agency said in a final rule publicly released March 20. The new rules, which EPA said are the “strongest-ever” pollution standards for cars, also finalize “minor amendments” to update its greenhouse gas program requirements for certain imported vehicles and engines, and more. “Entities potentially affected by this rule include light-duty vehicle manufacturers, independent commercial importers, alternative fuel converters, and manufacturers and converters of medium-duty vehicles,” EPA said. The changes take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
EPA is finalizing increased fees for significant new use notices, pre-manufacture notices and other actions under the Toxic Substances Control Act, it said in a final rule Feb. 22. The rule, which also revises the agency’s cost estimates and methods for calculating future fees, roughly doubles current fees for many types of TSCA activities. It also finalizes six exemptions from some TSCA fees, including for importers of articles containing a chemical substance. The final rule takes effect April 22.
EPA will give importers and manufacturers additional time to submit reports on polymers manufactured under an exemption from the Toxic Substances Control Act. The agency is extending the deadline to March 31, after technical difficulties affected a switch to electronic submission procedures, giving importers and manufacturers only days to submit reports prior to the original Jan. 31 deadline. The extension will “allow manufacturers additional time to submit their reports and accompanying claims to EPA using the electronic reporting tool,” the agency said.
EPA recently released a new guidance document on “absence of an ingredient” claims in products regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The agency said it will review such claims on pesticide labeling on a “case-by-case basis,” and provided examples of acceptable and unacceptable “absence of an ingredient claims” for bleach, phosphates and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET). The guidance document also “outlines the actions that may be taken by applicants and registrants who wish to modify their registrations or applications based on this guidance.”