GENERAL SECTION

Critical Air Regulation Issues for 2000

Do you or your clients do any of the following:

• Offset Lithographic Printing/Paper and Other Web Coating?
• Foundry Operations?
  
• Surface Coating of Large Appliances, Metal Furniture, Metal Parts and Products, or Plastic Parts and Products?
• Polyvinyl Chloride and Co-polymers Production?
  
• Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Production and Processes?
  

If so, prepare yourself for upcoming MACT and VOC Standards. The U.S. EPA has announced several standards relating to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and/or Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) that may impact these operations. It is important to be knowledgeable of these rules as they are in development so that management can make financial and organizational plans to meet their requirements. The listing above is only a small fraction of the hundreds of rules that may be formulated in the coming months. They were selected because of the breadth of industries potentially impacted.


BACKGROUND
While it is impossible to cover the totality of these proposed regulations here, several of those that may impact your or your clients’ operations are provided below, along with the scheduled dates for final actions. Of course, the
U.S. EPA has the right to change these dates according to their schedule and funding but the relative timing will be useful in your planning.


Rules Announced But Not Yet Proposed

• Offset Lithographic Printing National VOC Rule—Proposed Action scheduled for March 2000. Final Action Scheduled for March 2001.
  
  
• Paper and Other Web Coating NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants)—Final Action Scheduled for November 2000.
  
  
• Iron and Steel Foundries MACT (Maximum Available Control Technology) standard –Final Action Scheduled for November 2000.
  
  
• Large Appliance Surface Coating, Metal Furniture Surface Coating, Miscellaneous Metal Parts and Products Surface Coating, Plastic Parts Surface Coating MACT standard—Final Action Scheduled for November, 2000.
  
  
• Polyvinyl Chloride and Co-polymers Production MACT standard—Final Action Scheduled for November 2000.
  
  
• Miscellaneous Organic Chemical Production and Processes MACT standard—Final Action Scheduled for November 2000.

SUMMARY
Hundreds of proposed rules exist relating to HAPs and VOCs. Ensuring that management has the equipment, manpower, and information to address these rules upon their promulgation is essential to uninterrupted operations and continued compliance. If you are unsure of the rules that may, or do, apply to your facility, or would like more information, or desire assistance in developing compliance strategies, please contact Emily Covert or Tony Domanico at 513-489-2255 or toll free at 800-229-1443, or via e-mail at eac@paynefirm.com and aid@paynefirm.com.