g o v e r n m e n t & poliey
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lowed level of sulfur in diesel fuel from 500 ppm to 15 ppm. The American Petroleum Institute (API) advocates instead a sulfur level of 50 ppm. Reducing the sulfur level to 50 ppm "would reduce diesel emissions nearly as much as EPA's proposal at a more reasonable cost and would enable vehicle emission reduction equipment that is tested and proven," API states. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) approves of EPAs diesel proposal. "Although it is not clear whether diesel exhaust directly causes asthma in humans, many animal and human studies have found that the mix of chemicals [found in diesel exhaust] increases airway inflammation, cytokine release, and response to allergic sensitization/' NRDC says in a letter to EPA Another major regulation in the works would further restrict arsenic in drinking water. In June, the agency proposed lowering the maximum allowed level of arsenic from 50 ppb to 5 ppb, primarily because of concerns about bladder, lung, and skin cancer. The rule should be final by the end of the year. The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators wants EPA to set the standard at 20 ppb until more studies are conducted. It claims the agency may have underestimated the cost of arsenic removal, in this way biasing its cost-benefit analysis of the 5-ppb level. The National Mining Association Gore among women who are pro-choice. (NMA) complains that the 5-ppb limit Abortion rights advocates who consider could affect regulatory programs under RU-486 safer than surgical abortions call the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, and the move long overdue. Another controversial proposal is for the Superfund law. "If the arsenic critestandards for the production of organic rion is lowered by a factor of 10, a signiffood, which have been under develop- icantly higher percentage of nonhazardment for more than a decade. After the ous wastes may exceed the hazardous Department of Agriculture finishes con- waste limit, resulting in an enormous insidering about 40,000 comments on the crease in the amount of wastes that will proposed rule, it plans to issue final become subject to federal hazardous waste disposal regulations," the associastandards this year. At EPA, officials have compiled a list tion says. Furthermore, the drinking of 88 rules they intend to propose or fi- water rule for arsenic would become a nalize by the end of the term. For 42 of binding cleanup level under RCRA, acthem, there are court-ordered or statu- cording to NMA. Many western states tory deadlines requiring action this use drinking water standards as year. The remainder are priorities of the groundwater cleanup goals. Clinton Administration. An EPA official EPA is expected to move soon toward says the number of rules acted on re- regulating mercury emissions from coalcently is not unusual. burning power plants. A recent National One of the most far-reaching mea- Research Council study concludes that sures is a proposed rule on diesel ex- these plants emit 40 tons of mercury anhaust, which EPA expects to finalize by nually and that mercury can damage deJan. 1,2001. This would require advanced veloping fetuses and young children. Enexhaust controls in new heavy-duty vironmental groups advocate a 90% retrucks and buses and would lower the al- duction in mercury emissions.
RULES IN THE FAST LANE
Clinton Administration is making a last-
ditch attempt to propose and finalize major health and environmental rules Bette Hileman C&EN Washington
T
he Clinton Administration is working intensely to issue major environmental and health regulations before the end of its term. In this way, observers say, President Bill Clinton is trying to leave an environmental and health legacy that will endure no matter who wins the presidential election. Most of the measures are supported by environmental, consumer, and labor groups but opposed by industry organizations. Agency officials insist that the level of regulatory activity is no more intense than it is at the end of any Administration. But industry representatives claim that although the sheer number of proposed or finalized rules may not be extraordinary, an unusual volume of major regulations is being acted upon that will have far-reaching effects for years to come. The Environmental Protection Agency "is intent on pushing everything out the door that it possibly can," says Man Noe, vice president of water and biotechnology programs at the American Crop Protection Association (ACPA), a trade group representing pesticide manufacturers. At the same time, Republican members of Congress are rushing to attach amendments to appropriations bills or to pass other legislation that would limit or prevent some of the regulatory steps. And industry hasfiledlawsuits that aim to block or invalidate a number of the rules. Among important regulatory actions are rules affecting health, pesticides, mercury emissions, arsenic in water, and diesel emissions that have already been proposed or finalized or are expected by the end of the year. For example, on Sept 28, after 12 years of controversy, the Food & Drug Administration approved the abortion pill RU-486 for marketing in the U.S. Critics say the move to approve the controversial drug is a political ploy designed to gain votes for candidate Al
OCTOBER 9,2000 C&EN
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government
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ETHER AMINE OXIDES** ^CH2CH2OH ROCH2CH2CH2N
