Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has tapped Ecolab to help coordinate the procurement of N95 masks, gloves and other personal protection equipment, with executive Jill Wyant in charge of the state's sourcing activities. Minnesota has 386,000 N95 masks on hand and has ordered an additional 1.6 million masks.
The Trump administration has published a final Navigable Waters Protection Rule that defines the scope of "waters of the United States" regulated under the Clean Water Act. The rule, which takes effect June 22, defines such waters as "territorial seas and traditional navigable waters; perennial and intermittent tributaries that contribute surface water flow to such waters; certain lakes, ponds, and impoundments of jurisdictional waters; and wetlands adjacent to other jurisdictional waters."
The Environmental Protection Agency previously announced it would not be able to publish a final risk analysis for asbestos by the June deadline, and has now postponed the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals' review of the substance's draft report scheduled for next week. "The SACC meeting will be rescheduled as soon as practicable," said the EPA.
The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with statutory deadlines under the Toxic Substances Control Act during the pandemic and companies must continue to fulfill their obligations and meet deadlines, or they may face fines and missed opportunities to show they're safely using substances, say industry attorneys. The reporting period for the Chemical Data Reporting rule starts June 1 and, by May 27, companies must notify the EPA if they manufacture or import any of the next 20 high-priority substances.
The Pentagon has contracted 3M, Honeywell International and an Owens & Minor business to produce 13 million N95 masks a month for three months as it works to source 39 million masks. The Pentagon will use $133 million from the Defense Production Act to fund the orders.
More than 40 Braskem America workers who have been living onsite and working around the clock to produce polypropylene polymers for personal protective equipment have finished a 28-day shift, and will take a week off before resuming their normal work schedules. Braskem has also been producing grades of PP needed for PPE at sites in Texas and West Virginia.
Lubrizol is building on its $2 million donation commitment to worldwide coronavirus relief efforts by working with Nike to produce and distribute powered air-purifying respirator lenses and face shields. Lubrizol is contributing its Estane line of thermoplastic polyurethane to the project, which has already sent masks to locations in Oregon and Ohio.
Eastman Chemical will use a form of chemical recycling known as carbon renewal to process millions of pounds of post-consumer carpet in 2020. The company will source the carpet from Circular Polymers and convert it into materials for new applications.
Inspiration starts with what you're doing -- your goals, words and attitude create the foundation to lead your team, writes Steve Keating. "Remember, your people will do what you do far faster than they will do what you say," he writes.
