WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider an industry challenge to a national rule on VOCs in architectural and industrial-maintenance coatings, a decision that apparently signals the end of legal challenges to the regulation. The court challenge had been pursued by a group of coatings manufacturers known as the Allied Local and Regional Manufacturers Caucus (ALARM). The high court’s decision leaves intact a ruling upholding the EPA rule, issued last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The ALARM caucus, Smiland Paint Co. and Conco Paint Co. asked the Supreme Court in January to consider a challenge to the lower-court ruling. The companies said the rule did not comply with the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. More information on the case is reported on the National Paint & Coatings website at www.paint.org.