EPA Chemicals Law Likely to Regulate New Biofuels, Official Says

New biofuels likely will be regulated under the EPA’s chemicals law, but many restrictions will reference constraints that other statutes impose, an agency official said.

And, once a new bio-based or waste-derived fuel or ingredient has been refined or blended into the nation’s fuel supply, chemical-specific constraints on its production—such as mandates for workers to wear particular gloves—no longer will apply, said Jim Alwood, an EPA program manager who’s worked with new chemicals for years. That’s because it’s impossible to distinguish a single chemical within that broader fuel stream of similar compounds, he said.

The new fuels ...