G OVERNMENT & POL ICY CONCENTRATES
EPA TARGETS EMISSIONS FROM NITRIC ACID PLANTS
PUBLIC-ACCESS ADVOCACY GAINS MOMENTUM
EPA is tightening the limit for emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from nitric acid plants. A Clean Air Act rule issued on May 17 establishes a limit of 0.5 lb of NOx released per ton of nitric acid produced. The new standard is significantly tighter than the former limit of 3 lb of NOx per ton of acid produced, which has been in effect since 1971. The regulation also requires operators of nitric acid plants to install continuous emissions monitoring systems for NOx. The rule, which will take effect once it is published in the Federal Register, applies to all nitric acid plants built, modified, or reconstructed after Oct. 14, 2011. EPA decided against including standards for nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in the rule, saying it “does not yet have adequate information” to take action. But the agency added that it is gathering data and plans to propose greenhouse gas emission standards for nitric acid plants.—GH
A petition posted on the White House website last week calls on the Obama Administration to make the results of taxpayer-funded scientific research in journal articles freely available online. Within days the petition had received more than half of the 25,000 signatures needed to guarantee a response from the President. Supporters of the petition include researchers, patient advocates, universities, libraries, students, businesses, and families. “The highly successful public access policy of the National Institutes of Health proves that this can be done without disrupting the research process, and we urge President [Barack] Obama to act now to implement open access policies for all federal agencies that fund scientific research,” the petition states. The Federal Research Public Access Act of 2012 (H.R. 4004), a bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. Michael F. Doyle (D-Pa.), is also gaining support. The bill would require all federal agencies that fund $100 million or more in scientific research annually to adopt a public-access policy. Doyle says he is willing to work with stakeholders to determine an embargo period during which publishers could charge for access to journal articles.—BEE
COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT HEADS TO SPACE STATION
NASA/JI M GROSSMANN
In the wee hours of May 22, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully launched its Dragon spacecraft on its Falcon 9 launch vehicle. This is the second
demonstration SpaceX’s Dragon successfully lifted off mission for NASA’s last week from Cape Commercial OrCanaveral Air Force bital TransportaStation, Fla. tion Services Program and the first time a commercially developed and built spacecraft has been launched to the International Space Station (ISS). “Today marks the beginning of a new era in exploration: A private company has launched a spacecraft
to the International Space Station that will attempt to dock there for the first time,” NASA head Charles F. Bolden Jr. said after the launch. The goal of the mission is to show that a commercial craft can successfully reach and dock with ISS, thus giving NASA direct access to the station now that the agency has retired its shuttles. In addition to noncritical supplies, Dragon is also carrying15scienceexperimentsdesignedby students in grades 5–12 that will assess the effects of microgravity on physical, chemical, and biological systems.—SRM
CSB TO INVESTIGATE ARKANSAS ACCIDENT The Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) deployed a four-member team to El Dorado, Ark., last week to investigate an explosion and fire that killed three workers. The accident occurred on May 21 at an oil tank site operated by Long Brothers Oil Co. CSB says preliminary information indicates employees were doing “hot work” such as burning, cutting, and welding. Jerry Thomas, director of emergency planning for Union County, Ark., tells C&EN that the men were working on an oil tank that was considered empty although it held 12–14 inches of sludge. Emergency responders suspect that use of a chop saw ignited hydrocarbon vapors in the tank, Thomas says. Hot work is a growing concern for CSB, notes Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso. Recently, the board
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produced a safety bulletin and safety video warning of the hazards of welding or cutting around pipes and tanks that have not been monitored or tested to determine whether they contain flammable hydrocarbons. The board has investigated some dozen fatal hot work accidents over the past decade (C&EN, April 30, page 31).—JJ
STUDY SEEKS GULF CLEANUP WORKERS U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin is asking workers and volunteers who helped clean up the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster to join a study to determine whether the spill contributed to physical or mental health problems. Through public service announcements online and via broadcast media, Benjamin is seeking participants in the Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up (GuLF) Study. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is conducting the study, which NIEHS says is the largest of its kind involving cleanup workers and volunteers. Launched in February, the study is expected to continue for as long as a decade. “Over time, the GuLF Study will generate important data that may help inform policy decisions on health care and health services in the [Gulf] region, and its findings may also influence responses to future oil spills and similar disasters,” NIEHS says. Those interested in being in the study can call (855) NIH-GULF or visit nihgulfstudy.org.—CH
