Manufacturers and other companies face a tough challenge keeping up with the environmental regulations that are enforced by federal, state, and local agencies. Some of the most puzzling regulations govern the amount of pollutants that can be emitted into the air.
Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed in the Federal Register to approve several new rules governing Volatile Organic Compounds that the State of Illinois imposed to comply with the Clean Air Act. Specifically, Illinois adopted new rules for industrial cleaning solvents, flat wood paneling coatings, flexible packaging printing materials, lithographic printing materials, letterpress printing materials, paper, film and foil coatings, metal furniture coatings, large appliance coatings, miscellaneous metals and plastic parts coatings, auto and light-duty truck coatings, miscellaneous industrial adhesives, and fiberglass boat manufacturing materials. These new regulations apply in the Chicago and Metro-East St. Louis areas, which are classified as moderate nonattainment areas for the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standard.
If your business falls into any of the categories listed above, you should carefully review the new standards to make sure your business is in compliance. You can read EPA’s summary of the new rules in the Federal Register notice or review the rules directly on the Illinois Pollution Control Board’s website.
Stay tuned to the Illinois Environmental Law Blog for more news and developments. To subscribe to this blog and and sign up for my free newsletter, go to http://illinoisenvironmentallaw.com/subscribe/. To set up a free initial consultation to discuss your legal matter, please contact Chicago environmental attorney Dave Scriven-Young at (312) 239-9722 or dscriven-young@pecklaw.com.
