On Friday, May 29th, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a memo (attached) detailing its interim enforcement guidance for the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) labeling requirements, effective today, Monday June 1st.

The memo clarifies that manufacturers and importers will not be cited if able to demonstrate reasonable diligence and good faith efforts to obtain classification information from upstream suppliers or alternative sources. Also, existing stock that has been packaged for shipment prior to June 1st may continue to be shipped downstream with no requirement to re-label such containers.

EPA has finalized a rule that purportedly clarifies the definition of “waters of the U.S” and therefore affects the applicability of all Clean Water Act programs.

EPA’s rulemaking has been the subject of national attention, with more than 1 million total comments received - some for and some against the rule.

Many industries in Michigan use natural gas – including the power, residential, commercial and transportation sectors. A lesser-recognized but equally important trade that has benefited enormously from the recent American natural gas renaissance is chemical manufacturing.

While most people are instinctively familiar with everyday products like shoes, clothing, packaging, tires, paints and carpeting – they may not realize that many of these products are made through chemistry with materials derived from natural gas. And in the past decade, we’ve seen unparalleled opportunities for the business of chemistry in Michigan and across the United States because of abundant sources of domestic natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale formations.

Michigan’s agriculture and manufacturing sectors are leading job creators in our state, and as they become even more productive, businesses need competitive options to move their products. Freight rail must continue to be a big part of the equation, and that’s why the Michigan Agri-Business Association and the Michigan Chemistry Council are calling for long-overdue changes to our nation’s archaic freight rail policies.

MCC Executive Director John Dulmes recently participated in the Michigan Science Teachers Association (MSTA) 2017 Conference, held March 23rd - 25th in Novi. Over 1,500 educators attended this year's event to learn about new curriculum standards, proven teaching methods, and ways to incorporate real-world learning into their classrooms.

The MCC was featured with an exhibition table at which we showcased Michigan's chemistry products and information about our industry, as well as solicited input about future opportunities for industry-educator interaction. We had a blast talking with these teachers, and we plan to use their feedback to develop our offerings, currently being led by our Education & Workforce Committee.

Two of Michigan's best STEM contests, the "You Be The Chemist" and the Michigan Science Olympiad, each held their state competitions on Saturday, April 29th. A number of Michigan chemistry companies led efforts to organize and support these events, and the MCC was excited to share the day with these amazing students, teachers, and families as they competed in Troy and East Lansing, respectively.

The MCC's Education & Workforce Committee continues to work to connect the business of chemistry with our future workforce - give John a call or check out an upcoming committee meeting to see how you can get involved!