June 15 -- Welcome to the latest issue of 3E HazMat Matters. Please forward this newsletter to any colleagues who might find it useful or have them request a subscription by clicking here. For information on how to opt-out, see the instructions at the end of this email.

In this Issue:
Ask the 3Experts
3E News
Tips N Tricks - Getting the most out of 3E services
Events - Tradeshows and Conferences
Industry Articles - News you can use

Ask the 3Experts...................................................................................................

I heard about a House bill that would amend TSCA to allow ratification of three international treaties. What can you tell me about it?

On May 18, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials approved a bill that would amend U.S. federal chemical control law – an important step towards ensuring the United States is a participant in international discussions on pesticide and other chemical controls.

The bill (H.R. 4591), sponsored by subcommittee Chairman Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), would amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in order to allow the United States to ratify three international chemical treaties: the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs); the POPs Protocol to the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP); and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. All three treaties have entered into force. Despite having signed all three agreements, the United States will not be able to vote on decisions made by the parties of the agreements until it ratifies them. The House and Senate must enact legislation amending TSCA and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) in order to give the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to comply with each of the three treaties.

-Will Pettit, Regulatory Research Associate

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3E News....................................................................................................................

Ariel Data Manager (ADM) Chemical Regulatory Content Certified for Integration With SAP® EH&S Open Content Connector Interface
3E Company and Ariel Research's ADM content has successfully completed rigorous testing and obtained SAP integration certification through the SAP Integration & Certification Center. ADM content is now fully compliant with the SAP-OCC interface, an open XML-based interface to load external content into the SAP EH&S specification database. Customers committed to the OCC standard for SAP EH&S will be able to seamlessly integrate 3E Company's industry-leading Ariel regulatory content into the SAP EH&S application. Read the press release here.

Enhanced Version of 3E Compliance Calendar Includes Regulatory Compliance Research and Analysis Service
A new component of 3E Compliance Calendar and Disclosures service, 3E Compliance and Research Analysis offers customers research of hazardous materials reporting requirements on a federal, state and local level, specific to client facilities across multiple jurisdictions. This service provides an assessment and resulting report of the hazardous materials disclosures, permits and UST/AST permit renewals required to be submitted, as well as known due dates and/or associated fees, on a location-specific basis.

3E Compliance Calendar provides a comprehensive, outsourced compliance reporting solution. Increasing focus on regulatory enforcement, Homeland Security and electronic filing requirements is changing the regulatory landscape at the same time companies face growing pressure to limit fines, reduce costs and manage the ever-changing web of local state, county and city regulations. 3E Compliance Calendar streamlines and simplifies the regulatory reporting compliance process, providing a valuable solution for customers with multiple facilities, limited and/or decentralized EH&S staff or knowledge and those who want to centralize their regulatory reporting and permitting. Read the press release here.

Tips N Tricks...............................................................................................................

How to find substances that don't have, or have unknown CAS RNs in Ariel WebInsight

Currently the Ariel database is centered around CAS RNs or other Ariel assigned identifiers where a CAS RN does not exist for an entry on any given regulatory list. For instance:

Sage Oil (Spanish) has been assigned the identifier SEF125771;
Cotton Dust, Raw has been assigned the identifier SEQ78;

Metallic compounds without assigned CAS RNs have their own naming convention. For instance:

Cadmium, Inorganic Compounds has been assigned the identifier S~Cd~I (the symbol for the metal from the periodic table appears in the identifier). This is an example of a "generic."

Users can find regulatory data for substances where the CAS RN or other Ariel assigned identifier are unknown by switching the search criteria from CAS RN to Chemical Name in the Chemical Database Search mode. By entering the substance name or any part of it using "wild cards" (or the system provided "Query Builder" link), WebInsight will return the full substance name along with any matching identifiers meeting the defined criteria. For example:

Sage* and *spanish* will both yield Sage Oil (Spanish) and SEF125771.

For those of you not comfortable using "wild cards," just click on the Query Builder link and input your specific search criteria.

Clicking on the identifier will then yield an entire regulatory summary from the Ariel database.

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Events...........................................................................................................................

Trade Shows & Conferences-Stop by and see 3E at the following events:

The Wercs 9th Annual Users' Group Meeting
June 21-22
The Saratoga Hotel & Conference Center
Saratoga Springs, NY

NSC Utilities Division Summer Meeting 2006
June 25-27
Mountain Creek Inn
Pine Mountain, GA

ASHE Annual Convention & Technical Exhibition
July 9-12
John Hynes Memorial Convention Center
Boston, MA

Industry Articles: News You Can Use..................................................................

From Occupational Hazards

OSHA Modifies Hazard Communication Rule for Global Harmonization in Spring Agenda OSHA, in the release of its Spring 2006 regulatory agenda on April 24, announced it would issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for its hazard communication standard. The agency plans to modify the rule to be consistent with a globally harmonized system (GHS) for labeling chemicals, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2003. According to OSHA, modifying the standard "would involve changing the criteria for classifying health and physical hazards, adopting standardized labeling requirements, and requiring a standardized order of information for safety data sheets." For the complete story, click here.

From Chemical Market Reporter

US losing control of standards
The US is losing influence over international environmental and safety regulations for chemicals, producers were told at the 39th annual Pittsburgh Chemical Day conference.

"There is a dire war going on and we are losing very badly," said David Hanson, technical director of the Center for International Regulatory Assistance. "This war is over international control of environmental and safety regulations."

The European Union is in the final stages of approving REACH, chemical regulations that shift the burden of proving and ensuring chemical safety onto the industry.

From Chemical & Engineering News

House Blocks Changes To Toxics Release Inventory
Bill would cut off funds for EPA plans to reduce right-to-know reporting
The House of Representatives on May 18 voted to thwart EPA’s plans to trim the amount of information the public gets about releases of toxic chemicals. (The) amendment prevents EPA from spending any money to finalize or implement a rule affecting the Toxics Release Inventory. Under the TRI program, which was established under the Emergency Planning & Community-Right-to-Know Act, industrial facilities must supply the agency with information each year about their release and transfer of hundreds of chemicals. The agency compiles the data and releases them to the public annually. In late 2005, EPA proposed changing its requirements for TRI reporting in hopes of reducing the financial burden this program places on companies. For the full story click here.

Changing The Rules For Academic Labs
Universities would get a break from current requirements aimed at industry
A new proposal from EPA would allow colleges and universities to follow their own unique plans for handling hazardous wastes generated in academic labs. Currently, institutions of higher learning must comply with prescriptive hazardous waste rules that were written for industrial settings. Universities and colleges, large and small, have struggled to comply with these complex rules. The proposal would cover waste generated at on-campus academic laboratories and art studios. It would exclude hazardous wastes from other parts of a college or university, including labs in medical facilities associated with the institution. For the complete story, click here.

New! 3E Online-MSDS: Expert Edition

3E Online-MSDS Expert Edition is an enhanced version of the industry-leading 3E Online-MSDS management system, providing new regulatory reporting and chemical and data analysis features, as well as advanced MSDS management capabilities. New features help customers maintain a clear and accurate chemical inventory and reduce the amount of time and resources necessary for effective management of inventory and regulatory reports.

New Enhancement: RegInsight for 3E Online
An optional module providing access to Ariel's chemical regulatory database and an expanded regulatory impact analysis feature so customers can better understand the impact of regulatory changes on their raw materials, components and products that specifically apply to their inventory.

New Features and Functionality:
Regulatory Impact Analysis -- allows customers to track regulatory changes within their inventories

MSDS Ingredients Modification -- allows users to adjust percentages and add chemicals to the MSDS ingredient list.

Product Properties Modification -- allows customers to modify product properties at the local level

SARA Reporting Module -- provides tools that allow users to actively view and print products/mixtures and/or chemicals that may be reportable under SARA Title III Section 311, 312 and/or 313, on a site-specific basis, 24-7-365

Custom Regulatory Lists -- allows users to create custom lists based on specific ingredients, CAS # or a collection of regulatory lists to create custom queries within 3E Online.

Additional Search Options -- users can view and search their inventories based on a wide variety of search criteria, including custom value fields.

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