ExxonMobil is an early mover in America’s industrial renaissance fueled by abundant and affordable supplies of natural gas from shale and associated natural gas liquids. The company is awaiting the green light to begin construction on an exciting, multi-billion dollar expansion to its chemical facilities in Baytown, Texas — already one of the largest and […]
Archive: March, 2014
Misinformation fuels misplaced concerns over flame retardants
Recent media events have focused on debates about fire safety standards and flame retardants. The North American Flame Retardant Alliance (NAFRA)—a group strongly committed to improving fire safety—welcomes an open public discussion on the facts about these important compounds that help keep Americans out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, the heightened interest in fire safety has […]
CHEMTREC® has saved my bacon more than once
You might imagine after serving as CHEMTREC®’s Director of Outreach & Special Programs for the past six years and engaging in hundreds of hazardous materials conferences from Sacramento, CA to Plymouth, MA, I have heard just about anything and everything. However, after meeting thousands of responders from coast to coast, the one comment that still […]
NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade converts waste into energy
A number of forward thinking cities are investing in technologies to convert trash into energy and, in the process, are taking advantage of an abundant, domestic energy resource. Consider Newark, New Jersey. Last week’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City generated a fair amount of waste. Rather than landfilling it, the party hats, […]
Setting the record straight on TTIP
If you happened to see a copy of this press release last week, you might have been given the impression that ACC and its European counterparts were engaged in a nefarious plot to undermine the very basis for sound chemicals management on both sides of the Atlantic (I’ll have mine with an extra helping of […]
California’s test case misplaces priority by targeting energy-efficient spray foam
Eureka! It would seem that the motto of the state of California was in full force yesterday when the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) announced, almost with fanfare, how very happy they were to name the first three products to serve as a “test case” for a new Safer Consumer Products Regulation. But, in […]
California DTSC draft list of priority products proving program to be flawed, duplicative
This week, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control announced the first step in a complex, new regulatory process that is designed to assess the risk of certain chemicals in specific consumer products and to determine if there might be safer alternatives. The ‘green chemistry’ program has been in the works for seven years and […]
White House to establish new innovation institute for manufacture of advanced fiber-reinforced polymer composites
Innovations in energy efficiency – nearly every one made possible by chemistry – are reducing energy demand for our cars, homes and businesses. And recently, the White House announced an important step towards even greater efficiency across the American manufacturing sector. President Obama unveiled a new program through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that […]
BPA and plastics: the not-so scary truth
What’s trending right now? Lots of chatter about the safety of plastics: Are plastics safe in food packaging? Are they safe in carry-out food containers? What about the plastics in my kitchen? What should I do? Questions like these are the result of pressure groups targeting plastics — the very plastics that have been approved […]
GlobalChem 2014: Spotlight on TSCA reform, chemical risk assessment
It’s a wrap for another successful GlobalChem conference. For more than two decades, this annual meeting has provided a very productive venue for industry leaders, regulators and stakeholders to discuss fundamental chemical management issues, both here in the U.S. and abroad. Despite some challenging weather, this year covered a lot of ground. Thanks to our […]
