The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting June 28 at EPA headquarters in Washington to discuss technical issues related to its new formaldehyde standards for composite wood products. “The meeting will inform EPA’s potential development of a proposed rule to address these technical issues and to further align the rule requirements with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Airborne Toxic Control Measures (ATCM) Phase II program,” the agency said. The technical issues “surround the testing and certification of composite wood products under the final rule, including correlation of test methods, equivalence of test methods, treatment of test data, and sampling requirements under EPA’s final rule,” it said. Though intended for panel producers and third-party certifiers, “fabricators, distributors and retailers who are affected by the Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products final rule may also be interested in this meeting,” EPA said. A federal court recently established new compliance dates for the regulations, issued in 2016, with new emissions standards, record-keeping and labeling provisions set to take effect June 1, and import certification requirements in March 2019 (see 1803140035).

The Environmental Protection Agency is extending until May 24 the period for comments on proposed new user fees for activities it conducts under Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Under the February proposed rule (see 1802230022), the user fees, which reach from about $1,000 to into the millions of dollars, would begin on Oct. 1, 2018. Authorized by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the user fees will allow EPA to “defray some of the costs of administering certain TSCA requirements,” it said. The proposed fees would apply to manufacturers, including importers, that are required to submit information by a test rule, test order or enforceable consent agreement under TSCA Section 4; that submit notification or information related to intent to manufacture a new chemical or significant new use of a chemical under TSCA Section 5; or that manufacture a chemical substance subject to a risk evaluation, including at the request of a manufacturer or importer, under TSCA Section 6(b). Lower fees would apply for small businesses. EPA also said it has completed additional analysis on small business size definitions.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently published a list of Toxic Substances Control Act chemicals reported as active or inactive for the purposes of upcoming notification requirements for manufacturers and importers. Products listed as inactive in the eventual final version of this list will require a submission to EPA at least 30 days prior to importation or manufacture beginning in 2019.

The Environmental Protection Agency is setting exemptions from pesticide tolerances for residues of certain chemicals when put to specific uses, it said in a final rule. The exemptions apply to N,N-dimethyl 9-decenamide (CAS Reg No. 1356964-77-6); N,N-dimethyldodecanamide (CAS Reg No. 3007-53-2); and N,Ndimethyltetradecanamide (CAS Reg No. 3015-65-4). These chemicals are exempt from pesticide tolerances when “used as inert ingredients (surfactant, solvent) on growing crops and raw agricultural commodities after harvest, with a limitation that the concentration of the inert ingredient is at a concentration not to exceed 20% by weight in a pesticide formulation,” EPA said. The final rule takes effect March 30.

New formaldehyde emissions standards, record-keeping and labeling provisions in composite wood products will now take effect on June 1 due to a Northern California U.S. District Court decision in a lawsuit over the Environmental Protection Agency's delay of the compliance date. But Toxic Substances Control Act import certification requirements for composite wood products will still take effect March 22, 2019, the delayed compliance date set by a 2017 EPA final rule partially vacated by the court.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing substantial new user fees for activities it conducts under Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Under the proposed rule, the user fees, which reach from about $1,000 to into the millions of dollars, depending on the activity and business size, would begin on Oct. 1, 2018. Authorized by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the user fees will allow EPA to “defray some of the costs of administering certain TSCA requirements,” it said.

The Environmental Protection Agency is again amending its recently issued final rule on formaldehyde in composite wood products to update references throughout the regulations to certain voluntary industry standards, it said in a final rule. The industry standards have each been updated or withdrawn and superseded since EPA issued its final rule in December 2016 (see 1612120022 and 1607280021). The agency had withdrawn an October direct final rule issued to update the standards after receiving adverse comment (see 1712080018), and is now issuing a final rule for the same purpose after considering the input, EPA said. EPA has delayed until December 2018 the compliance dates for the regulations (see 1709190032), which set emissions standards and import certification requirements for composite wood products. The final rule takes immediate effect.

The Environmental Protection Agency will not finalize a proposed requirement that importers and exporters of hazardous waste post documents associated with their shipments to a publicly available website, it said in a final rule. Although the agency will move forward with another aspect of its November 2016 proposal (see 1611250029), no longer allowing importers and exporters of hazardous waste and exporters of cathode ray tubes to claim confidentiality for documents and data related to these activities, the agency determined that the temporary “internet posting” aspect of its proposal imposed unnecessary confusion on importers and exporters of hazardous waste. Instead, the agency will wait until it develops its upcoming Waste Import Export Tracking System (WIETS) to be able to receive electronic submissions of import and export documentation for hazardous waste shipments, it said. Provisions of the final rule barring confidentiality claims for hazardous waste exports and imports take effect June 26, 2018.

The Environmental Protection Agency is extending until Jan. 11, 2018, the period for comments on proposed new reporting requirements that would apply to importers and exporters of mercury, mercury compounds and products containing mercury, it said. Under the proposed rule, persons who import or manufacture mercury, intentionally use mercury in a manufacturing process, distribute mercury in commerce, store mercury after manufacture or import, or export mercury would be required to electronically report every three years the amount of mercury they handle and certain use-specific information, such as the country of origin of their imports (see 1710250016). Comments on the proposed rule had previously been due Dec. 26.

The Environmental Protection Agency is withdrawing changes to its recently issued final rule on formaldehyde in composite wood products that would have updated references throughout the regulations to certain voluntary industry standards. EPA said it received adverse comments on its October direct final rule (see 1710240036), which would have adopted industry standards that have been updated or withdrawn and superseded since EPA issued its final rule in December 2016 (see 1612120022 and 1607280021). EPA's direct final rule will now no longer take effect Dec. 12, and the agency will instead consider the changes as a proposed rule under normal notice and comment procedures, it said.