NASF Releases January 2023 Policy Update
The National Association for Surface Finishing has released a Policy Update, summarizing some of the pertinent regulatory developments and new announcements from the month of January.
The NASF Government Affairs team has released an update regarding its engagement during the month of January on an array of new rules and initiatives from Washington, D.C. The update includes the following stories:
- Federal Trade Commission Proposes to Ban Non-Compete Agreements – The FTC has proposed a sweeping rule to block employers in most states from entering non-compete clauses with workers and to rescind existing non-compete agreements. https://short.pfonline.com/ftc011623
- EPA Pushes Back Timeline for Proposing Metal Finishing PFAS Effluent Limits – The proposed new metal finishing standards to address PFAS is now being pushed back from August 2024 to December 2024. NASF is discussing with EPA staff the agency’s pending survey of the industry, which will likely be sent to finishing companies by April 2023. https://short.pfonline.com/epa011623
- OSHA, DOT and EPA Civil Penalties are Increasing in 2023 – The Department of Labor is revising civil penalty amounts for OSHA violations by employers, beginning on January 17, 2023, per an earlier authorization by Congress. The Department of Transportation is also increasing civil penalties for all modes of transportation, including highway, by 7.745 percent. EPA’s new maximum penalties are now highest for Clean Air Act violations at $117,468 per day. https://short.pfonline.com/osha011623
- EPA Releases Draft IRIS Assessment for Cobalt – EPA released its draft plan for IRIS cancer assessment for inhalation of cobalt that takes a “no safe-level” approach inconsistent with the consensus from other available studies. https://short.pfonline.com/cobalt011623
- New York State Enacts Law that Requires Environmental Justice Cumulative Impact Analysis – A new law will require a thorough review of the cumulative impacts of pollution on certain disadvantaged communities before an environmental permit is issued or renewed. https://short.pfonline.com/ny011623
This update is courtesy of the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF). For more information or to become a member, visit nasf.org.
Related Content
-
Trivalent Chrome Overview
As the finishing industry begins to move away from the use of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium, what factors should finishers consider as they make new investments? Mark Schario, chief technology officer for Columbia Chemical offers a helpful overview of this complicated topic.
-
The Future of Hard Chrome: Pioneering Innovations for Sustainable Solutions
Although useful, chromic acid and other compounds that contain hexavalent chromium ions are highly toxic and carcinogenic. However, one company has developed an alternative for the hard chrome process that achieves thick, conformal coatings with wear and fatigue resistance comparable or superior to hexavalent chromium-based systems.
-
Reducing VOCs
Coating materials (paint and solvent) are one of the most significant sources of VOC generation. John Owed of Carlisle Fluid Technologies offers advice for reducing VOC consumption.
