Short Takes – 5-8-24

The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold an election security hearing in two weeks, according to Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. NextGov.com article. Pull quote: “Officials fear that a loss of faith in electoral systems at home could lead to a repeat of the widespread voter fraud claims that occurred during the 2020 presidential election, which ended in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. On the domestic front, content moderator staff reductions at social media companies have also been deemed a major risk to election integrity, and election workers worry they will face threats of violence from voters who don’t accept the polling results.”

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Targets New Launch Date. Blogs.NASA.gov post. Pull quote: “The oscillating behavior of the valve during prelaunch operations, ultimately resulted in mission teams calling a launch scrub on May 6. After the ground crews and astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely exited from Space Launch Complex-41, the ULA team successfully commanded the valve closed and the oscillations were temporarily dampened. The oscillations then re-occurred twice during fuel removal operations. After evaluating the valve history, data signatures from the launch attempt, and assessing the risks relative to continued use, the ULA team determined the valve exceeded its qualification and mission managers agreed to remove and replace the valve.”

Senate tries to limit turbulence ahead of FAA deadline. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Negotiators are still in search of a time agreement to speed up passage of the final version, but that is unlikely to arrive given a number of members who are adamant in search of amendment votes.”

Climate change: World's oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat. BBC.com article. Pull quote: “As the graph below shows, not only has every single day since 4 May 2023 broken the daily record for the time of year, but on some days the margin has been huge.”

Designation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid (PFOS) as CERCLA Hazardous Substances. Federal Register EPA final rule. Summary: “Pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), including their salts and structural isomers—as hazardous substances. The Agency reached this decision after evaluating the available scientific and technical information about PFOA and PFOS and determining that they may present a substantial danger to the public health or welfare or the environment when released. The Agency also determined that designation is warranted based on a totality of the circumstances analysis, including an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of designation.”

Methylene Chloride; Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Federal Register EPA final rule. Summary: “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is finalizing a rule to address the unreasonable risk of injury to health presented by methylene chloride under its conditions of use. TSCA requires that EPA address by rule any unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment identified in a TSCA risk evaluation and apply requirements to the extent necessary so that the chemical no longer presents unreasonable risk. EPA's final rule will, among other things, prevent serious illness and death associated with uncontrolled exposures to the chemical by preventing consumer access to the chemical, restricting the industrial and commercial use of the chemical while also allowing for a reasonable transition period where an industrial and commercial use of the chemical is being prohibited, provide a time-limited exemption for a critical or essential use of methylene chloride for which no technically and economically feasible safer alternative is available, and protect workers from the unreasonable risk of methylene chloride while on the job.”

CDC A(H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update. CDC.gov update. Pull quote: “May 3, 2024 – CDC continues to respond to the public health challenge posed by a multistate outbreak of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus, or “A(H5N1) virus,” in dairy cows and other animals in the United States. CDC is working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state public health and animal health officials, and other partners using a One Health approach. Currently, one human case has been confirmed in a person with exposure to presumably infected dairy cows reported by Texas on April 1, 2024 ^[1][2].”