Preview Newsletter
ACC PM 22/11/18
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(ACC Mentioned) Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s Corporate Donors Want Their Money Back
Nov 21, 2018 | Roll Call
By Emily Kopp
Half a dozen corporations have asked Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith to reimburse their contributions to her runoff campaign. -
UN Environment Head Resigns Over $500,000 Travel Expenses
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Nick Hazlewood
The head of the UN's Environment Programme has resigned following findings by an internal investigation that he spent almost $500,000 on travel and hotels during a 22-month period. -
US NGO Raises Concerns Over Lead and Boron in Toys
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Leigh Stringer
Toys containing lead and boron are making their way onto US store shelves, according to the US Public Interest Research Group. -
Call for Electronics Sector Safety Standard for Environment, Health
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Leigh Stringer
The electronics sector needs a product safety standard that focuses solely on environmental and human health impacts of products, including the adverse effects of chemicals. -
Echa Round-Up
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
Echa has released a video, 'How Brexit impacts your chemical company'. -
Intentional Microplastics Are Primarily a Soil and Freshwater Problem, Echa Finds
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Andrew Turley
Intentionally added microplastics are more likely to enter and accumulate in terrestrial and freshwater environments rather than the oceans, according to analysis by Echa. -
EU Commission: Tools to Address EDCs in Cosmetics Are ‘Adequate’
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Caterina Tani
EU provisions to control endocrine disrupting chemicals in cosmetics are "adequate", a European Commission report has said. -
Envi Challenges Sodium Dichromate Authorisation Draft Decision
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Clelia Oziel
In a rare step to influence the REACH process, the European Parliament's environment committee (Envi) has challenged a Commission draft implementing Regulation authorising a use of the SVHC sodium dichromate. -
UK/Echa ‘Cooperation’ Included in Draft Brexit Political Declaration
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Luke Buxton
A commitment for Britain and the EU to explore the possibility of "cooperation" between UK authorities and Echa has been included in the draft Brexit political declaration. -
Justice Dept. Looking at Anti-OPEC Legislation: Report
Nov 22, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Tal Axelrod
The Department of Justice (ODJ) is reportedly reviewing antitrust legislation intended to reduce OPEC's ability to adjust oil markets. -
As Trump Questions Global Warming, UN Says: US Gov’t Won’t
Nov 22, 2018 | AP (In The Washington Post)
By Frank Jordans
A top U.N. scientist on Thursday shrugged off an online quip from U.S. President Donald Trump that questioned global warming, saying a U.S. government report will show the “fundamental impacts of climate change on the U.S. continent.” -
UN Weather Group: Greenhouse Gases in Air Rose Again in 2017
Nov 22, 2018 | AP (In The New York Times)
The U.N.'s weather organization says greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere climbed to a new record level last year, warning that "the window of opportunity" to act against climate change is nearly closed.
Industry and Association News
LCSA News - There are no clips to report at this time.
Chemical Management News
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Environment News
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(ACC Mentioned) Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s Corporate Donors Want Their Money Back
Nov 21, 2018 | Roll Call
By Emily Kopp
Half a dozen corporations have asked Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith to reimburse their contributions to her runoff campaign.
The companies have been under intense scrutiny in recent days for their financial support of the senator in the wake of her remark that she would be “on the front row” of a “public hanging” at a campaign stop earlier this month. The NAACP has said her comments evoke Mississippi’s bloody history of lynchings.
The video has drawn new attention to her runoff race against Democratic challenger and former U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Espy, who is black.
The corporations say the remark does not reflect their values.
Public ire has centered on blue-chip companies whose contributions showed up in Federal Election Commission records after the video surfaced: Google, Walmart, AT&T, Union Pacific, Leidos, Pfizer and Boston Scientific.
A Walmart spokeswoman said Hyde-Smith is the first candidate from whom the company has looked to revoke a donation.
All of the companies have asserted they made the contributions before Hyde-Smith’s comments became public, though campaign finance law makes that unlikely.
Within 20 days of an election, campaigns must publicly report all donations within 48 hours. The Hyde-Smith campaign reported Nov. 18 donations from Walmart, Union Pacific, Leidos and Boston Scientific, a full week after the video surfaced on Nov. 11.
The campaign listed donations from major trade associations such as the American Chemistry Council and white shoe consulting firms like Foley & Lardner LLP in the same Nov. 18 report.
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An independent reporter with the newsletter Popular Information first reported the donations.
The Hyde-Smith campaign reported the $5,000 contribution from Google on Nov. 13, two days after the video surfaced.
Google asserts the check was dated Nov. 2. That coincides with the date Hyde-Smith made the “public hanging” comment, though it was not made public until a week later.
However, the Hyde-Smith campaign said it received the donation from Google on Nov. 13 and reported it the same day. The campaign maintained it has reported donations in accordance with the 48-hour rule in a statement to the Clarion Ledger on Nov. 15.
“We have complied with all campaign finance laws,” a spokeswoman said.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson has drawn a parallel from Hyde-Smith’s remarks to President Donald Trump, who will campaign with the embattled senator on Nov. 26, one day before voters go to the polls. The remarks “prove once again how Trump has created a social and political climate that normalizes hateful and racist rhetoric,” Johnson said in a statement shortly after the video surfaced.
“Hyde-Smith’s decision to joke about ‘hanging,’ in a state known for its violent and terroristic history toward African-Americans is sick,” he said.
Hyde-Smith’s voting record closely aligns with the White House’s policy agenda; the senator has campaigned on building a wall at the southern border with Mexico and supported the president’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries.
Hyde-Smith has touted her support of Trump on the campaign trail — even referring to her campaign bus as the “MAGA wagon” — and repeatedly mentioned his upcoming visit during a debate Tuesday night.
https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/sen-cindy-hyde-smiths-corporate-donors-want-money-back
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UN Environment Head Resigns Over $500,000 Travel Expenses
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Nick Hazlewood
The head of the UN's Environment Programme has resigned following findings by an internal investigation that he spent almost $500,000 on travel and hotels during a 22-month period.
A draft audit of official travel carried out by staff at Unep, obtained by The Guardian newspaper and seen by Chemical Watch, found that the organisation's former executive director Erik Solheim ran up costs of $488,518 while travelling for 529 out of 668 days – amounting to almost 80% of his time.
The report, by the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services, also found widespread rule breaking and a lack of accountability throughout the organisation.
The draft audit says Mr Solheim – who it calls Manager A – rerouted many of his work trips to include multiple stops in either Paris or Oslo. Some of these were described as "bilateral meetings", even though they were made over the weekend and during the Christmas holiday.
On one occasion, the draft report says, Manager A made an eight-hour trip from Washington, DC, for a weekend in Paris before taking another flight to New York City.
The draft report makes it clear, however, that mismanagement, lack of accountability and flouting of the rules were common throughout the organisation, during the period of its investigation, January 2016 to March 2018. Between 2014 and 2017 travel costs almost doubled from $14.6m to $27.2m. At the same time there was a decline in its programme of work accomplishments from 70% to 65%.
And the report warns that such extensive travel, particularly by air, "presents a reputation risk to the organisation, especially that Unep is supposed to be the lead on sustainable environmental matters".
The final audit report has yet to be made public, but on receiving an advance copy of it, Mr Solheim said in a 20 November statement he had decided to step down "with a heavy heart".
The executive director, a Norwegian diplomat and former politician, took up his position in 2016, succeeding Achim Steiner. During his period in office he has recognised the importance of regulating chemicals.
At a meeting of the intersessional process on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (Saicm) in February last year, Mr Solheim said that to speed up the elimination of unwanted chemicals globally, governments must challenge businesses through regulation.
Speaking to Chemical Watch at the event in Brazil, he said regulating markets would "mobilise the enormous forces of business" and encourage the development of better, safer chemicals and products.
Last November, Mr Solheim laid out measures to address hazardous substances in his report Towards a pollution-free planet, which highlighted chemicals of concern as a "hard-hitting" target.
UN Secretary General António Guterres confirmed he had accepted Mr Solheim's resignation, which will be effective from today. He also announced that Joyce Msuya, the organisation’s deputy executive director, would take over in an acting role while a successor is sought.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72227/un-environment-head-resigns-over-500000-travel-expenses
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US NGO Raises Concerns Over Lead and Boron in Toys
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Leigh Stringer
Toys containing lead and boron are making their way onto US store shelves, according to the US Public Interest Research Group.
In the 33rd edition of its Trouble in Toyland report, the group says that this is because of lax monitoring or problems with manufacturing in the US or abroad.
In August, more than 30,000 units of rubber critter toys were recalled in the US due to lead paint contamination. US PIRG says the CPSC described this recall as occurring "due to violation of [the] federal lead paint ban" in their recall advisory.
"This new incident of mass lead contamination in toys in 2018 highlights how lead contaminated children’s products are still reaching store shelves and getting into the hands of children," the report says.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – an organisation that sits under the US Department of Health and Human Services – there are approximately half a million US children, ages one to five, with blood lead levels above five micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL). This is the reference level at which the CDC recommends public health actions is initiated.
It states on its website that no safe blood lead level in children has been identified and exposure can affect nearly every system in the body.
Federal law requires that all children’s products manufactured after August 2011 contain no more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of total lead content in all accessible parts.
US PIRG is calling on the government to revisit lead standards for children’s toys to determine if a limit as high as 100ppm is appropriate.'Emerging threat'
The organisation says that boron substances found in toys is an "emerging toxic threat". It tested a number of slime toys bought from retailers Amazon and Walmart. One contained boron concentrations as high as 4,700ppm, much higher than the EU toy safety Directive's 300mg/kg limit value for liquid or stick toy material. For the other tested products, concentrations ranged from 1,100ppm to 4,600ppm.
In May, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety warned that the majority of online do-it-yourself toy ‘slime’ recipes contain boron compounds, which it says are reprotoxic, may impact foetal development and "must not be manipulated by children repeatedly".
And in July, UK consumer group Which? also found that children's 'slime' products, sold as toys in online stores, can contain levels of boron compounds exceeding EU safety limits.
Following its findings, US PIRG says it has asked the CPSC to "explore the need to set limits on concentrations of boron compounds in children’s products such as slime".
"To keep kids safe, it may be necessary to limit boron content in children’s toys or, at least, explicitly label toys that are high in boron content," it says.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72292/us-ngo-raises-concerns-over-lead-and-boron-in-toys
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Call for Electronics Sector Safety Standard for Environment, Health
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Leigh Stringer
The electronics sector needs a product safety standard that focuses solely on environmental and human health impacts of products, including the adverse effects of chemicals.
Addressing delegates at Chemical Watch’s first electronics conference in San Francisco this month, Michael Kirschner, founder and president of consultancy Design Chain Associates, said that such a standard was missing.
Industry standards exist for thermal, electrical, optical and even acoustic product safety, he said, but "we need another formal product safety discipline" that focuses on meeting environmental and human health requirements that address chemicals of concern.Emerging regulation
He said that because these standards do not address this area of safety, regulations emerge.
Except for a few major manufacturers, the industry lacks adequate chemical and toxicological expertise, said Mr Kirschner.
"This is what puts us as industry, along with others such as the toy, automotive and textiles sectors, at the mercy of regulators," he added.
Customers and environmental NGOs "are defining the path forward for environmental and human health performance and safety in electronic products and we don't really have a good seat at the table".
Regulations, he said, are being introduced that may "look good on paper" but are not necessarily implementable or, for example, that truly consider alternative substances.
"We have to expand our knowledge in this space," he said, adding that a standard in this field would set the rules for product designers, which could then lead to a drive in suppliers moving towards green and sustainable substances and materials.
He called on the larger electronics manufacturers who have the resources and capability to define this and start encouraging standard bodies towards development.
We need those with resources to fund it and populate it to properly define the scope, requirements and desired outputs, he said.Safety first
As an example of where environmental and health concerns have been lacking, Mr Kirschner turned to product flammability regulations in the US. These have often led to manufacturers adding substances such as chlorinated or brominated flame retardants to certain products and materials.
In the 1970’s, some states, such as California, introduced regulations that required certain products to withstand flames for a specific amount of time. This saw the use of certain flame retardants rise in products, such as furniture and electronics. Flame retardants are often used in the plastic casings and cable materials of electronics products and equipment.
Since then, studies have suggested that some of these substances cause adverse effects to the environment and human health. This has led to authorities taking action on their use, including the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and states such as Massachusetts, Washington and California.
However, requirements still exist. Clause six of the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) 62368-1 standard requires most wiring and cable to comply with its flammability requirements.
"We implement clause six in order to ensure that our products meet flammability safety requirements. But the standard does not specify the materials to use or that you need to use flame retardants, it simply says you have to meet the requirement," he said.
"It certainly doesn't tell you whether and how to assess those materials for environmental and human health safety."
Mr Kirschner stressed that developing a standard is "a long-term process".
"It isn’t something that can happen in a year. This, I believe, is five to ten years away."
https://chemicalwatch.com/72245/call-for-electronics-sector-safety-standard-for-environment-health
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Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
Brexit updateEcha has released a video, 'How Brexit impacts your chemical company'.
The agency also updated its Brexit webpages.New version of Chesar
Echa has released an updated version of Chesar, its chemical safety assessment and reporting tool.
Building on feedback received, version 3.4 provides:
compatibility with Iuclid 6.3, released on 24 October;
improved user friendliness; and
enhanced support for importing updated use maps.
More information on the improvements and Iuclid version compatibility can be found on the Chesar website and in the version 3.4 release notes.PACT updated
Echa has reminded the chemical community to check which substances are on the authorities' radar for future regulatory action through its revamped public activities coordination tool (PACT).
The agency has produced a small film clip to explain what the tool now provides.Database on SVHCs in articles
Echa has published information on its forthcoming database on articles containing substances of very high concern (SVHCs).
The aim of the resource, stipulated under the revised waste framework Directive, is to support the circular economy by facilitating effective recycling and reuse of materials through greater knowledge of the hazardous substance content of articles.
It will also increase authorities' information on candidate list substances in articles.
The agency explains what the database is about, who will be using it, its scope and next steps.Iuclid website
From 15 November, Echa service users must have an Echa account to log into the Iuclid website.
Users of the agency's Cloud services, REACH-IT, R4BP 3 or ePIC will already have such an account which can be used to access the tool.
The change will mean the same log in credentials can be used for all the agency's sites and tools.
An account can be created via the Iuclid website. And the relevant options will need to activated under 'My Account' for anyone wishing to continue receiving Iuclid news alerts, the agency advises.
The Iuclid website will be offline from 17:00 Wednesday 14 November to 12:00 on Thursday 15 November in order to make the changes.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72176/echa-round-up
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Intentional Microplastics Are Primarily a Soil and Freshwater Problem, Echa Finds
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Andrew Turley
Intentionally added microplastics are more likely to enter and accumulate in terrestrial and freshwater environments rather than the oceans, according to analysis by Echa.
The finding, announced today on Echa’s website, contrasts with the popular understanding of microplastics pollution as primarily a marine problem and could prove significant in the risk assessment that Echa is conducting under a mandate from the European Commission.
Some types of microplastic are used in – or "intentionally added" to – consumer and professional products, such as cosmetics, detergents, paints and pesticides, to perform a specific function. Facial and body scrubs often contain microplastics as beads to help exfoliate the skin, for example.
Other types are generated during normal use of articles containing plastic. For example, wearing and washing of garments made of synthetic textiles can result in disintegration of the fibres and addition of microplastics to the wastewater. Historically, concern has focused on these unintentionally added microplastics, which have been found in marine organisms, particularly fish.REACH Restriction proposal
However, in January, the Commission asked Echa to prepare a REACH Restriction proposal on the use of intentionally added microplastic particles in consumer and professional products.
In June, several NGOs criticised Echa for "unduly limiting" the scope of the proposal by having taken into account industry concerns before putting the proposal before its scientific committees. The proposal will exclude "relevant and harmful uses of microplastics" before the risk assessment committee (Rac) and the socio-economic analysis committee (Seac) give their opinions, the NGOs said in a letter to Echa.
In its statement, Echa says that unintentionally added microplastics are often washed down the drain at the point of use, but they do not typically enter aquatic environments directly because of the way wastewater is treated in the EU. Instead, they most likely concentrate in sewage sludge that, in many member states, is later applied to agricultural land as fertiliser, the agency says. Furthermore, some are applied directly to agricultural land in pesticide products.
In general, the release of microplastics to the environment is problematic because they are "extremely persistent", with degradation taking thousands of years.
The agency expects to finalise its Restriction proposal by the start of 2019 and send the Rac and Seac opinions to the Commission in April 2020.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72238/intentional-microplastics-are-primarily-a-soil-and-freshwater-problem-echa-finds
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EU Commission: Tools to Address EDCs in Cosmetics Are ‘Adequate’
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Caterina Tani
EU provisions to control endocrine disrupting chemicals in cosmetics are "adequate", a European Commission report has said.
The report, published on 7 November, is part of the delayed review of the cosmetics products Regulation concerning substances with endocrine disrupting properties. The EU executive was under an obligation to deliver this by January 2015.
It was published at the same time as the European Commission's outline of its long overdue EDCs strategy.
The review, the Commission said, has not revealed anything that "would justify deviating from the regime designed by the legislator to address the safety concerns related to the use of endocrine disruptors in cosmetics".
The cosmetics Regulation, it added, provides "the adequate tools" to regulate the use of cosmetic substances presenting a potential risk for human health. However, the regulation does not have any specific provisions for endocrine disruptors. Priority list
The Commission said, early next year, it will establish a priority list of potential endocrine disruptors that are not already banned from use in cosmetic products, or specific prohibitions applicable to carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxicants (CMR) substances.
In order to prepare the assessments it will launch calls for data addressed to member states, stakeholders and academia.
The Commission said it will then mandate the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) to evaluate the substances with "the shortest delay" and take appropriate action to ban or restrict use of chemicals.Tackling EDCs
A combination of EU tools is available to tackle EDCs in cosmetics, the Commission said. According to the cosmetics Regulation, the use of a potential EDC requires a scientific opinion by the SCCS.
When the SCCS safety assessment concludes there is a risk to human health of substances considered as EDCs, the Commission can take the "appropriate" measures to ban or restrict their use in cosmetics "on a case-by-case basis".
The SCCS has already evaluated cosmetic ingredients suspected of having the properties, such as several parabens, the Commission added.
In terms of other legislation, chemicals with such properties in cosmetics are banned when:they are classified as CMRs under the CLP Regulation – unless a specific derogation is fully justified and scientifically approved by the SCCS; andthey have adverse effects on the environment, and can therefore be banned under REACH.
The criteria to identify endocrine disruptors in biocides and plant protection products do not have direct legal consequences for other areas of EU law, including the cosmetics Regulation, the Commission said.
NGOs and member states have long called for an EU harmonised approach across different regulations for the chemicals.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72291/eu-commission-tools-to-address-edcs-in-cosmetics-are-adequate
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Envi Challenges Sodium Dichromate Authorisation Draft Decision
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Clelia Oziel
In a rare step to influence the REACH process, the European Parliament's environment committee (Envi) has challenged a Commission draft implementing Regulation authorising a use of the SVHC sodium dichromate.
On 20 November the committee adopted a draft motion for a resolution seeking to block a Commission proposal to grant Italian firm Ilario Ormezzano Sai permission to use the substance – a known carcinogen – in wool dyeing.
The committee's move is not binding, but it could impact the decision of the REACH committee if its resolution is endorsed at a Parliamentary plenary in Brussels on 28 November. The REACH committee could vote on the authorisation at its 11-12 December meeting.
Envi's motion says the Commission has "exceeded the implementing powers" provided in REACH by "not respecting the conditions" set for granting an authorisation.
It calls on the EU executive to withdraw its draft implementing decision and submit a new one rejecting the application.
Envi's case is based on the Echa Risk Assessment Committee (Rac) Opinion that "a theoretical safe-level of exposure to this substance cannot be set". Rac has also concluded that the applicant's risk management measures "were not appropriate and effective".
The motion also questions the conclusion of Echa's Socio-economic Analysis Committee (Seac) that no suitable alternative to the substance is available, despite the "many deficiencies" it identified in the application in this respect.
The Italian company had argued that its customers would not accept any of the alternatives on the market, but Envi says customer preferences are subjective and may not have been made "in full knowledge of the risks".
Such an outcome, the motion says, "cannot be reconciled" with the fact that alternatives have been available "for many years".
NGOs have said that discussions of a similar application for authorisation submitted by Gruppa Colle have shown that safer alternatives are available on the market.Unprecedented action?A rejection by the REACH committee would be unprecedented as it has so far rubber stamped all applications for uses of SVHCs on the authorisation list.
MEPs have only once before tried to block an authorisation proposal, for the use of DEHP in recycled PVC in 2015. That attempt was unsuccessful, however, as the Commission proceeded with its decision to grant authorisation. The Commission has endorsed the REACH committee decisions in all 172 cases so far.
Tatiana Santos, policy manager at NGO the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), said the new objection by Envi is a "clear sign" the system is not working properly "if all applications for authorisation are getting blanket approval" even when safer alternatives exist.
This, she said, is encouraging the use of the most hazardous chemicals "by obsolete companies instead of favouring safer products by frontrunners and encouraging substitution" – a key goal of authorisation.
If the authorisation decision on sodium dichromate is approved, then the EU Parliament could take the Commission to court, Ms Santos added.
Meanwhile, several industry associations have sent a letter to EU authorities, calling for incentives to motivate companies to actively look for alternatives to SVHCs.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72290/envi-challenges-sodium-dichromate-authorisation-draft-decision
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UK/Echa ‘Cooperation’ Included in Draft Brexit Political Declaration
Nov 22, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Luke Buxton
A commitment for Britain and the EU to explore the possibility of "cooperation" between UK authorities and Echa has been included in the draft Brexit political declaration.
Agreed in principle today, the declaration sets out the framework for a future relationship between the two sides and will guide negotiations following the UK’s departure.
In a joint statement, Cefic and the UK’s Chemical Industries Association (CIA) welcomed the news and said the political declaration "continues to keep alive a successful resolution" to industry concerns.
"Given this commitment, chemical businesses in the EU27 and the UK will be working with negotiators to ensure the UK’s continued participation in the European chemicals agency."
NGO CHEM Trust also welcomed the draft declaration. There are "clear benefits" to both the EU and the UK of the UK remaining within the REACH system, including protection of human health and the environment, preventing damaging deregulation and facilitating trade, it said.
"However, there is more work to be done to develop the vague language into solid commitments, and to agree which chemical-related laws the UK will need to remain aligned."
The final Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration could be agreed by EU27 and UK governments on 25 November.
https://chemicalwatch.com/72294/ukecha-cooperation-included-in-draft-brexit-political-declaration
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Justice Dept. Looking at Anti-OPEC Legislation: Report
Nov 22, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Tal Axelrod
The Department of Justice (ODJ) is reportedly reviewing antitrust legislation intended to reduce OPEC's ability to adjust oil markets.
A DOJ official told Bloomberg that the department believes that OPEC’s use of production quotas to determine the price of crude oil has increased costs for American consumers.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Hill.
Both chambers of Congress are discussing bipartisan anti-OPEC bills, though neither the House nor the Senate have voted on them yet.
The House Judiciary Committee in June approved the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act, or NOPEC Act, which would grant the attorney general authority to sue OPEC for trying to influence oil production and cost.
Past presidents have threatened to veto anti-OPEC bills, but President Trump has repeatedly attacked the group.
“The OPEC Monopoly must remember that gas prices are up & they are doing little to help. If anything, they are driving prices higher as the United States defends many of their members for very little $’s. This must be a two way street. REDUCE PRICING NOW!” he tweeted in July.
The OPEC Monopoly must remember that gas prices are up & they are doing little to help. If anything, they are driving prices higher as the United States defends many of their members for very little $’s. This must be a two way street. REDUCE PRICING NOW!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2018
OPEC is meeting in Vienna next month to confront nosediving oil prices. The organization is considering cutting output to stabilize the market.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/417970-justice-dept-looking-at-anti-opec-legislation-report
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As Trump Questions Global Warming, UN Says: US Gov’t Won’t
Nov 22, 2018 | AP (In The Washington Post)
By Frank Jordans
A top U.N. scientist on Thursday shrugged off an online quip from U.S. President Donald Trump that questioned global warming, saying a U.S. government report will show the “fundamental impacts of climate change on the U.S. continent.”
Officials at the World Meteorological Organization also said environmentally minded efforts by the state of California, in parts of the financial sector, among grassroots activists and others will have more of an impact to help the fight against climate change than “political disturbance” and “discourse” will impede it.
The science, they said, will have the last word.
Some of that science comes Friday in a new U.S. federal climate change assessment report, from agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Energy.
“It’s very interesting what you will see tomorrow,” said Pavel Kabat, WMO’s chief scientist. “That is a major report coming supported by all agencies ... under the administration of President Trump ranging from NOAA to NASA, from NASA to DOE, showing the fundamental impacts of climate change on the U.S. continent.”
Kabat was speaking at a news conference to present WMO’s latest greenhouse gas bulletin, which said levels in the atmosphere climbed to a record last year. In a statement, WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalas warned “the window of opportunity” to act against climate change has nearly closed.
WMO says globally averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide reached 405.5 parts per million in 2017, up slightly from the previous year and from 400.1 in 2015. Concentrations of other heat-trapping gases, like methane and nitrous oxide, also rose.
The findings come ahead of next month’s meeting of world leaders in Katowice, Poland, for the annual global climate summit where they hope to find ways to implement the 2015 Paris climate accord that aims to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, which lies about 2,000 kilometers northeast of Australia, is one of those countries already suffering severe effects of climate change.
Its foreign minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said his government is exploring the possibility of suing fossil fuel companies responsible for most man-made greenhouse gas emissions over the damage they have caused.
“By hiding what they knew and misrepresenting the dangers of unabated fossil fuel use, the fossil fuel industry and supportive governments protected their high-emissions profits and obstructed the changes needed to prevent or at least minimize the impacts of climate change,” he told a ‘virtual’ summit of nations that are vulnerable to climate change.
WMO’s Taalas said the last time Earth had such high levels of carbon dioxide concentration was 3-5 million years ago.
Without cuts in greenhouse gases, Taalas said, “climate change will have increasingly destructive and irreversible impacts on life on Earth.”
That came just hours after Trump, who once called global warming a “hoax” and has pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, floated a new question about climate change on Twitter: “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS - Whatever happened to Global Warming?”
Despite that, Kabat cited a “global transformation” underway in thinking about global warming, saying “the point of no return has been passed.” He said efforts by some industries, in civil society and by local officials could “overtake” governmental agreements or statements on the issue.
“I think on the longer timescale we are not that much worried about the current political disturbance,” he said.
“Despite the statements of President Trump, there is still a very concrete and specific movement by the agencies under the administration to actually make the case of action against climate change,” Kabat said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-weather-group-greenhouse-gases-in-air-rose-again-in-2017/2018/11/22/8bfd8bae-ee36-11e8-8b47-bd0975fd6199_story.html?utm_term=.c50094b0bb48
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UN Weather Group: Greenhouse Gases in Air Rose Again in 2017
Nov 22, 2018 | AP (In The New York Times)
The U.N.'s weather organization says greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere climbed to a new record level last year, warning that "the window of opportunity" to act against climate change is nearly closed.
The World Meteorological Organization says globally-averaged concentrations of carbon-dioxide reached 405.5 parts per million in 2017, up slightly from the previous year and from 400.1 in 2015. Concentrations of other heat-trapping gases, like methane and nitrous oxide, also rose.
WMO says it's the first time that consolidated figures for 2017 have been available.
WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said the last time Earth had such high levels of CO2 concentration was at least 3 million years ago.
Without cuts in greenhouse gases, he said, "climate change will have increasingly destructive and irreversible impacts on life on Earth."
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/11/22/world/europe/ap-eu-united-nations-greenhouse-gases.html
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