New VOC Regulations on AIM Coatings Looming in Northeast, Mid-Atlantic States
WASHINGTON — At least three East Coast states — Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania — have begun the process of adopting a regional VOC regulation on architectural and industrial-maintenance (AIM) coatings as proposed by the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC). The commission, whose members include 12 Mid-Atlantic and northeastern states and the District of Columbia, recently issued a final “model rule” that proposes the adoption of stringent, “California-type” VOC controls on AIM coatings.
Six states in the region are expected to move quickly to enact regulations based on the model rule, which recommends an effective date of Jan. 1, 2005. Representatives of coatings manufacturers and the National Paint & Coatings Association, meanwhile, are campaigning for consideration of an alternative regulation that would impose less drastic VOC limits.