The Internal Revenue Service published the 2020 inflation adjustment factors and reference prices used in determining the availability of the credit for renewable electricity production, refined coal production, and Indian coal production under §45 of the Internal Revenue Code.
The U.S. Coast Guard proposed to expand its regulations on vessel financial responsibility to apply to all tank vessels greater than 100 gross tons as required by statute and to make other amendments that clarify and update reporting requirements, reflect current practice, and remove unnecessary regulations under OPA and CERCLA.
DOE announced the availability of updated guidance for the hydroelectric incentive program under the Energy Policy Act of 2005; the guidance describes the hydroelectric incentive payment requirements and explains the type of information that owners or authorized operators of qualified hydroelectric facilities must provide DOE when applying for hydroelectric incentive payments.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration amended the hazardous materials regulations to maintain alignment with international regulations and standards by incorporating various amendments, including changes to proper shipping names, hazard classes, packing groups, special provisions, packaging authorizations, air transport quantity limitations, and vessel stowage requirements, that harmonize the regulations with recent changes made to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, the International Civil Aviation Organization's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, and the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods—Model Regulations.
FERC announced that the period for filing interventions and protests to filings submitted pursuant to §204 of the Federal Power Act will be shortened from 21 to 5 business days to expedite the Commission's review of filings that may be necessary to ensure the regulated entities' liquidity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic; the shortened comment period will be in effect up to and including September 1, 2020.
EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on draft scope documents for the risk evaluations to be conducted for seven of 20 high-priority substances designated in December 2019 under TSCA as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act; the draft scope documents include the conditions of use, hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations EPA plans to consider in conducting the risk evaluation for each chemical substance.
The U.S. Coast Guard finalized its 2013 proposal to update the liquid chemical categorization tables, aligning them with the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk and the International Maritime Organization's Marine Environment Protection Committee circulars from December 2012 and 2013; the final rule provides a list of liquid hazardous materials and liquefied and compressed gases approved for international and domestic maritime transportation and indicates how each substance is categorized by its pollution potential, safe carriage requirements, chemical flammability, combustibility, and compatibility with other substances.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration seeks comment on proposed amendments to the federal pipeline safety regulations for the safety of hazardous liquid pipelines that would revise the requirements for facility response plans, revise the definition for accidents, and consider repealing, replacing, or modifying other specific provisions; the changes would be intended to reduce regulatory burdens and improve regulatory clarity without compromising safety and environmental protection.
The EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance announced the availability of a memorandum providing a "no action assurance" to three categories of manufacturers regarding the self-identification requirement of the TSCA fees rule, consistent with planned revisions to the rule; the three categories are importers of articles containing one of the 20 high-priority substances, producers of one of the 20 high-priority substances as a byproduct, and producers or importers of one of the 20 high-priority substances as an impurity.
EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on draft scope documents for the risk evaluations to be conducted for 13 of 20 high-priority substances designated under TSCA, as amended, in December 2019; the draft scope document for each chemical substance includes the conditions of use, hazards, exposures, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations EPA plans to consider in conducting the risk evaluation for that chemical substance.