Congress Passes ‘Veto Proof’ Farm Bill
U.S. lawmakers have passed a comprehensive farm bill that scales back tax credits for corn-based ethanol, and offers approximately $1/gal tax incentive for cellulosic ethanol. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 also establishes $340 million in...

Sweden Lifts Deca-BDE Ban on Textiles, Furniture and Electric Cables.
Faced with a legal challenge from the European Union (EU), the Swedish government has agreed to repeal its national ban on the use of the brominated flame retardant deca-brominated diphenyl ether (deca-BDE) in textiles, furniture and some electric cables...

Mitsui Chemicals Starts up EPDM Plant
Mitsui Chemicals says it has started commercial production of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber at the company's No. 3 EPDM plant at Ichihara, Japan. The plant has capacity for 75,000 m.t./year and uses metallocene catalyst technology, Mitsui says. The...

BASF and Bahrain Firm Create PU Systems JV in Dubai
BASF says its Elastogran polyurethanes (PU) subsidiary and the Kanoo Group (Manama) have agreed to form a PU systems joint venture in Dubai. The jv, to be owned 51% by Kanoo and 49% by BASF with operational leadership by Elastogran, will...

Pricing Momentum Continues
Chemical makers continue to post stronger than expected first-quarter earnings, despite weaker volumes and another surge in energy and raw material costs. A key factor behind the resilient earnings has been improved pricing efforts. DuPont says it achieved...