New regs for Tuesday: Lead, vehicle safety, trade secrets

Tuesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for lead-free pipes and trade secrets, and a vehicle safety report.

Here’s what is happening:

Cars: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is publishing a new report on vehicle safety.

The vehicle safety report was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is a division of HHS, in late March, but will now formally be posted in the Federal Register.

The report will be used to identify vehicle safety priorities going forward.

Lead: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is delaying new rules for lead-free pipes.

The EPA proposed the rules in the final days of the Obama administration but is now extending the comment period by 30 days to give the public more time to consider the changes.

The public now has until May 17 to comment.

Trade secrets: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is considering new ways to protect trade secrets.

The USPTO announced Monday a public meeting to review the current state of trade secret protections, which could lead to future rulemaking activities.

This stems from the recent Defend Trade Secrets Act.

The meeting will take place on May 8.