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| | NEWS & NOTES | | Time to Overhaul Chemical Safety Law? | RFF Senior Fellow Terry Davies asserts in the February 4, 2010, issue of the science journal Nature that the Toxic Substances Control Act is in need of significant updating to encompass new materials derived from nanotechnology and chemicals used in food, cosmetics, drugs, and pesticides. Noting that the statute – enacted in 1976 – is essentially toothless in curtailing use of potentially harmful substances, Davies said, “It is a badly flawed bill that needs to be rewritten.” Since the law’s passage, the Environmental Protection Agency has restricted the use of only five chemicals out of the thousands that are commercially available.
Download the article (pdf). | | Phil Sharp Appointed to Nuclear Fuel Commission | RFF President Phil Sharp will be among 15 members serving on a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future announced January 29 by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who noted the Obama Administration’s decision not to proceed with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The panel has been asked to recommend other options for safe, long-term solutions to managing spent nuclear power plant fuel. A final report is expected in 24 months. See the DOE press release here. | | NAS Report Explores Responses to Bioterrorism | In a recently released interim study by the National Academy of Sciences, “Effectiveness of National Biosurveillance Systems: Biowatch and the Public Health System,” a panel of experts proposed possible responses to terrorist threats from biological agents such as anthrax spores. RFF Fellow Sandy Hoffmann was a member of the committee, which will release the full report later in 2010. The interim report can be seen here. |
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| FEATURES | | Event: Extreme Weather and Climate Change | | A panel of experts discusses how climate change will increase the risk of extreme weather events and the role of regulators, government, and the insurance industry in responding to this challenge. Video available | | EPA v. Climate Change | | Visiting Scholar Nathan Richardson argues that the Environmental Protection Agency’s case for regulating greenhouse gases may may be weaker than many think. | | Assessing Risk via Expert Elicitation | | Nature magazine highlights RFF Senior Fellow Roger Cooke’s use of expert elicitation, and recommends that it be used in gauging climate change risks. | | Rosina Bierbaum: The Changing Climate for Development | | Watch a virtual presentation of Dr. Bierbaum's talk from last month's Hans Landsberg Lecture, in which she details the disproportionate impact of climate change on developing countries and their role in a low-carbon future. | | Burtraw Testifies on California Cap and Trade | | RFF Senior Fellow Dallas Burtraw outlines potential pitfalls in implementation of California’s AB32 climate legislation. |
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