The Environmental Protection Agency established, effective June 12, a tolerance of 150 ppm for residues of methyl bromide in or on cotton, undelinted seed under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The EPA said it established the tolerance because there is a need for imported undelinted cottonseed for use as additional feed for dairy cattle in the U.S. because of a 13% reduction in U.S. cotton production in the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 seasons as a result of drought in Texas. Objections and requests for hearings on the EPA’s final rule are due by August 13.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it's withdrawing a significant new use rule (SNUR) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for a chemical substance identified generically as C15 olefins, which was the subject of premanufacture notice (PMN) P-11-511. The EPA said it received a notice of intent to submit adverse comments on the rule, so it intends to publish a proposed SNUR for the chemical substance under separate notice and comment procedures. The withdrawal is effective June 4. Further information: Kenneth Moss, 202-564-9232 or moss.kenneth@epa.gov.

The Environmental Protection Agency is promulgating a significant new use rule (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for elemental mercury use in barometers, manometers, hygrometers, and psychrometers. This action will require persons who intend to import, manufacture or process elemental mercury for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this final rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before beginning that activity. The notification will give EPA the opportunity to evaluate the intended use and, if necessary, to prohibit or limit it.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it sent an Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval covering the Foreign Purchaser Acknowledgement Statement of Unregistered Pesticides; EPA ICR No. 0161.12, OMB Control No. 2070-0027.

The Environmental Protection Agency withdrew the revocation of testing requirements for C.I. Pigment Blue 61 promulgated in a March 16, 2012, decision relating to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The March rule involved 10 chemical substances, including benzenesulfonic acid, [[4-[[4-(phenylamino)phenyl][4-(phenylimino)-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidene]methyl]phenyl]amino]- (CAS No. 1324-76-1), also known as C.I. Pigment Blue 61. In the May 14 Federal Register, the EPA also restored the original testing requirements shown in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The final rule revoking testing requirements for the other 9 chemical substances described in the March 16, 2012, Federal Register document is otherwise unaffected by the withdrawal of the revocation for C.I. Pigment Blue 61, EPA said. The action came after the EPA received an adverse comment regarding C.I. Pigment Blue 61, it said. Further information: Catherine Roman, 202-564-8157 or roman.catherine@epa.gov.

The Environmental Technologies Export Initiative announced by the Commerce Department and the Environmental Protection Agency builds on the National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014 and support millions of American jobs, officials said at the Initiative announcement May 14 at the EPA's first Technology Market Summit.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule establishing tolerances for residues of the fungicide ametoctradin in several commodities. The regulations, effective on publication in the Federal Register due Wednesday, affects agricultural producers and food and pesticide manufacturers, the agency said. In making tolerance decisions, the EPA is seeking to harmonize U.S. rules with international standards wherever possible, it said. The EPA considers the international maximum residue limits (MRLs) established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), as required by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, it said. The Codex Alimentarius is a joint U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization food standards program, and it is recognized as an international food safety standards-setting organization in trade agreements to which the U.S. is a party, the EPA said.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the National Advisory Committee (NAC) and the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to the U.S. Representative to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) will host a public meeting May 16 in Washington. The NAC advises the EPA administrator in her capacity as the U.S. Representative to the CEC Council. The committees are authorized under Articles 17 and 18 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) and the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the agency said. The teleconference will discuss and approve the draft advice letter addressing the draft Guidelines for Submissions on Enforcement Matters under Articles 14 and 15 of the NAAEC, the agency said.

The EPA issued a notice to "affected businesses" about Freedom of Information Act requests it has received for its data on the export and import of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste from/to the U.S., the export of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and spent lead acid batteries (SLABs) from the United States, and the export and import of RCRA universal waste.

Dominion said it's confident that its existing agreement with the Sierra Club and the Maryland Conservation Council permits the company to build a natural gas liquefaction plant proposed for its Cove Point facility in Lusby, Md. The full 4.5-5 million metric tons per year output is fully subscribed in deals Dominion signed with Japanese shipper Sumitomo Corp. and another company, it said. Dominion Chairman Thomas Farrell said some opposition is to be expected, in a statement, especially since the Sierra Club "has previously expressed its opposition to all LNG export facilities." But he said he's confident "we can locate, construct and operate a liquefaction plant at Cove Point ... without amending the agreement involving the Sierra Club and the Maryland Conservation Council." Construction is expected to begin in 2014, with an in-service date in 2017.