GOVERNMENT & POLICY CONCENTRATES
Bayer’s crop science division is challenging EPA’s request for the company to voluntarily cancel uses of the insecticide flubendiamide in the U.S. The company is seeking an administrative hearing to review the product’s safety data. EPA claims that flubendiamide may pose a health risk to organisms that live in sediments in F3C F waters near agricultural areas. Bayer believes that EPA’s concerns are F3C based on theoretical models NH and assumptions that exaggerate environO mental risk. “We are H 3C N S disappointed the EPA H O I places so much trust on O O computer modeling and Flubendiamide predictive capabilities when real-world monitoring shows no evidence of concern after seven years of safe use,” says Peter Coody, Bayer’s vice president of environmental safety. Bayer maintains that flubendiamide is a critical pest management tool, particularly for tree nut growers. The pesticide is approved for use on more than 200 crops in the U.S. Growers would be forced to use older, less effective, and potentially more toxic chemicals to manage pests, Bayer argues.—BEE
GUIDANCE OFFERED ON INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS The InterAcademy Partnership, the global network of science academies, is offering practical guidance on responsible conduct in collaborative research that crosses disciplines and international borders. A report from the partnership addresses issues from planning to reporting results to the public and policy-makers. It considers how to prevent the misuse of science and technology, researchers’ responsibilities to society, and the benefits and challenges of international collaboration. The report is aimed at students, researchers at all stages of their careers, administrators, funders, and policy-makers. “Scientific research is being transformed by globalization, interdisciplinary research projects, team science, and information technologies,” says Indira Nath, cochair of the committee that wrote the report and former head of the department of biotechnology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. “This
PUBLISHERS AND FUNDERS PUSH SHARING OF ZIKA DATA Recognizing an emerging public health crisis, an international group of 30 scientific publishers and funders has agreed to share information related to the Zika virus. Publishers of journals including Science, Nature, and the New England Journal of Medicine will make all Zika-related content available for free and lift any restrictions on data sharing that might otherwise prevent publication. Research funders will set up ways for scientists to share data as quickly and as widely as possible with other researchers, public health officials, and the World Health Organization. Those signing on include national science agencies in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, and Japan, as well as nonprofits such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We are committed to working in partnership to ensure that the global response to public health emergencies is informed by the best available research evidence and data,” a joint statement from the 30 organizations said. The announcement follows a request from the Obama Administration for more than $1.8 billion in funding to fight the Zika virus (see page 7).—AW
new guide emphasizes the importance of having internationally harmonized standards in a rapidly changing research environment.” The report is available at http://goo.gl/4hHCUz.—CH
HOUSE PASSES BILL ON LEAD NOTICE The House of Representatives approved a measure (H.R. 4470) last week that would give EPA greater authority to take action when lead levels in drinking water exceed federal standards. Under the pending amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, the federal agency could bypass state regulators to notify the public in as few as 48 hours when local authorities and water utilities have identified violations but have failed to act in the public interest. “When there are unacceptable levels of lead in people’s drinking water, the public should be immediately told about it,” said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who represents Flint, Mich., and introduced the measure earlier this month. “This bill in itself wouldn’t have prevented the crisis in my hometown, but it is a necessary first step to ensure that such an emergency doesn’t happen again” (see page 26). The legislation now heads to the Senate, where similar measures are under consideration.—JM CEN.ACS.ORG
20
FEBRUARY 15, 2016
SUPREME COURT BLOCKS OBAMA’S CO2 RULES A set of EPA regulations to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants was put on hold by the U.S. Supreme Court last week. In a 5-4 decision, the court blocked implementation of regulations that will cut CO2 emissions by 31% from 2005 levels by 2030 and are the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s efforts to combat climate change. The regulations’ legality was challenged in federal appeals court by 25 states and several industries. The challengEPA’s rules are aimed at coal-fired power plants such as the Cayuga power plant in New York.
ers sought an injunction to block implementation while they wait for a trial, which is scheduled to start in early June. Despite the decision, ongoing efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. will continue. Some 18 states and other industries back the Clean Power Plan, says S. William Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, an organization of air pollution regulators.—JEFF JOHNSON, special to C&EN
PHILIP COHEN
BAYER REFUSES TO CANCEL PESTICIDE
