The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for 45 chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors, it said in a notice released Oct. 8. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Nov. 9. The SNURs would cover the following chemical substances:

The Fish and Wildlife Service on Oct. 7 released final rules listing a small mammal and a bird as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. One rule lists coastal populations of the Pacific marten (Martes caurina), a small mammal from coastal California and Oregon. The other rule adds the eastern black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis), a bird subspecies known from the eastern and central U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Brazil and several countries in the Caribbean and Central America as threatened. FWS includes in both notices a 4(d) rule that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rules take effect Nov. 9.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee’s Secure Trade Lanes Subcommittee Export Modernization Working Group issued draft recommendations ahead of the COAC’s Oct. 7 meeting. The group recommends that CBP work with the Census Bureau and others to define a “clerical error versus a material error” for both Electronic Export Information and manifest filings and issue “appropriate guidance” to CBP personnel. When CBP finds clerical errors in the filings, the group said, CBP should contact the filer for a correction before issuing a penalty. The group also recommended that CBP work with Census to “develop and conduct” mandatory export enforcement training for CBP personnel.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is placing the newly approved drug remimazolam in Schedule V of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in an interim final rule. Effective Oct. 6, remimazolam, which was granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration in June, is subject to new registration, labeling, record-keeping, and import and export requirements. DEA is accepting comments on the rule until Nov. 5.

The Drug Enforcement Administration permanently placed the synthetic opioid crotonyl fentanyl into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in a final rule. The substance had already been temporarily listed in Schedule I since 2018. The final rule takes effect Oct. 2, when it is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Oct. 7, remotely, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by Oct. 6. The COAC will hear from the following subcommittees on the topics listed below and then will review, deliberate and formulate recommendations on how to proceed on those topics:

The Food Safety and Inspection Service is proposing to amend its inspection regulations to expand situations wherein the agency will generically approve the labels of meat, poultry and egg products, it said in a proposed rule issued Sept. 14. If the proposed rule is adopted, FSIS would no longer need labels to be submitted for FSIS approval if they are (1) labels on products for export that deviate from FSIS requirements; (2) labels that list ingredients in the ingredients statement as being certified “organic” (e.g., organic garlic) under the Agricultural Marketing Service National Organic Program; (3) labels that display geographic landmarks, such as a foreign country's flag, monument, or map; (4) labels that make negative claims identifying the absence of certain ingredients or types of ingredients (e.g., statements such as “No MSG Added,” “Preservative Free,” “No Milk,” “No Pork,” or “Made Without Soy”); or (5) labels of products that receive voluntary FSIS inspection. FSIS is also proposing to “cease evaluating labels submitted to FSIS that are eligible for generic approval,” it said. Comments are due Nov. 13.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeks comment by Nov. 2 on the reinstatement of its collections of information related to export health certificates for animal products, it said in a notice released Sept. 2. APHIS issues the certificates to satisfy import requirements in other countries for animal products from the U.S., and the certifications must carry the U.S. Department of Agriculture seal and be endorsed by an APHIS representative. APHIS estimates the process takes exporters about 20 minutes. After considering comments, it will submit the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget for approval.

The Environmental Protection Agency is removing the Toxic Substances Control Act significant new use rule (SNUR) on one chemical substance, alpha 1-, 3-polysaccharide, which was the subject of a premanufacture notice. EPA’s final rule, which takes effect Sept. 24, removes new use notification requirements. The revocation is “based on new test data for the chemical substance,” the agency said.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for three chemical substances under significant new use rules, it said Aug. 25. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemical substances subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemical substances would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Sept. 24. The SNURs would cover the following chemical substances: