{"id":2027653,"date":"2023-09-11T05:13:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T09:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/energy-department-blasts-epas-proposed-chemical-ban-alleging-it-would-hurt-us-ability-to-detect-wmds\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T05:18:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T09:18:54","slug":"energy-department-blasts-epas-proposed-chemical-ban-alleging-it-would-hurt-us-ability-to-detect-wmds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/energy-department-blasts-epas-proposed-chemical-ban-alleging-it-would-hurt-us-ability-to-detect-wmds\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy Dept. criticizes EPA&#8217;s chemical ban, claims it hampers WMD detection."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fenergy-department-blasts-epas-proposed-chemical-ban-alleging-it-would-hurt-us-ability-to-detect-wmds%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2027653&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>EPA proposal\u200b would jeopardize &#8216;complex&#8217; national defense research, Energy Department argues<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<p>      \u2064L: EPA administrator Michael Regan (Chip Somodevilla\/Getty\u200c Images) R: Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The \u2064Department of Energy is strongly opposing a proposal from President Joe Biden&#8217;s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban \u200cmethylene chloride, a widely used chemical. The Energy Department argues that such a ban would \u200dhinder its ability to detect weapons of \u200cmass destruction and conduct &#8220;complex&#8221; national defense \u200cresearch.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA proposed a rule in April to ban\u200d the commercial use and \u200cproduction\u200b of methylene chloride, which\u200c is commonly\u200b found in commercial-grade cleaning products. However, it\u2062 is \u2064also an \u200dessential component in the manufacturing of military equipment and pharmaceuticals. While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/energy-department-blasts-epas-proposed-chemical-ban-alleging-it-would-hurt-us-ability-to-detect-wmds\/\" title=\"Energy Dept. criticizes EPA's chemical ban, claims it hampers WMD detection.\">proposal includes national security-related exemptions<\/a> for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy\u200b is not granted any such exemption.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the Savannah River National Laboratory, which specializes in &#8220;complex&#8221; \u200cnational defense research related to the detection of weapons of mass destruction, is raising concerns. In a letter to the\u200b EPA, the lab&#8217;s \u2062principal industrial hygienist emphasized that America&#8217;s ability \u200cto\u2062 detect weapons of mass destruction would be compromised if\u200b methylene chloride is no longer available\u200d for their research.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Like DOD and NASA, these DOE missions support national security interests as\u200c well as critical infrastructure,&#8221; the lab stated in its June\u200c 28 \u200bletter. &#8220;[The laboratory] is concerned that the availability \u2063of methylene chloride from vendors and distributors for\u200c these \u2063important\u200c DOE mission research purposes will be limited\u200b or non-existent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This clash\u200d between \u200ctwo Biden administration departments is a rare occurrence. It also puts Biden&#8217;s Energy Department at odds with the climate groups that\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/farage-predicts-doom-for-boris-at-election-over-borders-as-hundreds-more-illegals-land\/\" title=\"Farage Predicts 'Doom' for Boris at Election over Borders as 'Hundreds' More Illegals Land\">typically support<\/a> the \u2064administration&#8217;s environmental proposals. While environmental law firm Earthjustice hailed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-admits-proposal-to-ban-essential-dry-cleaning-chemical-wont-help-the-environment\/\" title=\"EPA acknowledges banning vital dry cleaning chemical won't aid environment.\">proposed chemical ban<\/a> as a &#8220;win\u2062 for public health,&#8221; it argued for fewer exemptions in the final rule.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Exemptions in the rule would allow certain uses of methylene\u200c chloride to continue for a decade or \u200cmore, leaving workers, service members, and communities at risk,&#8221; said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, senior attorney at \u2064Earthjustice.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the Savannah River National Laboratory expressed appreciation for the opportunity to provide comment during the EPA rulemaking process and looks forward \u200bto the outcome. The \u200dEPA also stated that it will consider the Energy Department&#8217;s \u2064response and anticipates\u2064 continued collaboration \u2064with federal partners during the development of the\u2062 final rule.<\/p>\n<p>This \u200cis not the first time that Biden&#8217;s EPA and other regulatory agencies have proposed bans on essential materials. The EPA previously proposed a ban on a chemical used in many dry cleaning \u2063businesses, despite admitting \u2063uncertainty about the potential closures it may cause. The administration has also advanced regulations that could effectively ban large\u200c segments of the\u2064 gas stove and \u200bportable gas\u200d generator markets.<\/p>\n<p>While the administration has generally presented a united front\u2062 in\u2063 support of these measures, the\u200c EPA&#8217;s proposed ban on \u200bmethylene\u2064 chloride has raised concerns within the administration that Biden&#8217;s \u200cregulatory agenda may have gone too far.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If research and development uses are not specifically addressed\u200d in the proposed regulatory language\u200c as an allowable use, the current wording could allow interpretation that \u2064 [research and development] \u200cuses are\u2064 prohibited,&#8221; warned\u2062 the Energy Department \u200dlaboratory in its\u2063 letter.<\/p>\n<p>In addition \u2064to the Department of Energy, \u2064a bipartisan \u200cgroup of senators, including\u2064 Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.),\u200d and J.D. Vance (R., Ohio), have urged Biden&#8217;s EPA to \u2062reconsider its methylene chloride proposal. They argued in a September letter \u200bthat the ban would harm America&#8217;s military.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Methylene chloride is a critical\u200b compound either used\u200c in or used to manufacture products\u200b that we rely on every day, including military equipment,&#8221; \u2062the senators wrote. &#8220;While\u2064 we wholeheartedly endorse \u200bcommonsense \u2064regulation, we are\u2064 apprehensive with EPA&#8217;s seemingly arbitrary evaluation that deems \u200bno level of risk acceptable for manufacturers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Department of Energy opposes the EPA&#8217;s plan to ban methylene chloride, stating it would endanger crucial national defense research. EPA Administrator Michael Regan and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm are at odds over the proposal, which the DOE argues would have negative consequences for various industries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2112,"featured_media":2027654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2027653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2027653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2027654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2027653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2027653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2027653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}