Taking The Hill
EPA Considers Changes in RCRA Regulations for Rags, Wipes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering easing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requirements for industrial rags and wipes. Reusable rags and disposable wipes, such as those used in motor vehicle repair facilities, are classified as hazardous waste and must be handled under the RCRA hazardous waste rules.
EPA is considering a proposal to exempt industrial rags and wipes from RCRA regulations if they contain a limited amount of regulated solvents and are cleaned by a laundry service or disposed of in a municipal facility.
As part of the preliminary rulemaking process, ASA has been contacted to provide information about how its member shops use, store and dispose of rags and wipes. Other industries that would potentially be affected by new regulations are also being contacted.
The proposal is in the preliminary rulemaking process and EPA is considering several options to provide regulatory relief. One of the options that EPA is considering is to exempt rags and wipes from the RCRA requirements if the materials do not hold a specific amount of the regulated solvent when they are disposed of or cleaned. A level, however, has not been specified.
Clean Air Technology
A report released by J.D. Power and Associates finds that innovative advancements made to gasoline engines may provide the answer to reduced emissions and cleaner air. Rather than simply relying on electric vehicle technology, motor vehicle manufacturers are seeking other ways, such as hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel cells, to meet stringent new emission requirements.
Manufacturers are investing in this technology because it will be required in California by 2003 and zero-emission vehicles have a limited range and are costly. Hybrid vehicles that rely on batteries and internal combustion engines may produce cleaner, more reliable vehicles at a lower cost than zero-emission vehicles.
Toyota is the first manufacturer to sell hybrid vehicles in Japan, but others are also working on new technologies. Examples include fuel cells and gasoline direct-injection engines.
New EPA Environmental Accounting Project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has asked the Automotive Service Association (ASA) to participate in its new Environmental Accounting Project. The goal of the project is to make it easier for small businesses to account for their environmental costs using already-existing accounting software.
EPA will work with Best!Ware and Peachtree Inc. to develop new software components that will allow small businesses to keep track of environmental costs. An advisory group has been convened by EPA to help the software manufacturer design tools that will be easy for small businesses, such as independent repairers, to use.
Examples of environmental costs include equipment, materials, reporting, pollution control, legal expenses and training. Small businesses could use the information they gather to choose between options that are more cost effective and to push for regulatory changes by identifying the exact costs that are expended for complying with federal regulations.
There is some concern that this voluntary information could be used for EPA enforcement in the future. EPA has assured the stakeholders that this information will not be used for enforcement activity; however, the entire stakeholder group will continue to press for assurances that any information voluntarily gathered by small businesses will not be used for enforcement.
The components developed by EPA, the software manufacturers and the advisory group are expected to be available for the 1998 tax season. The components will be available for free and downloaded from the software manufacturer's Web site for use with Best!Ware and Peachtree accounting software. In the future, the com- ponents will be integrated in new copies of the software.
Tier 2 Report
The EPA has released the Tier 2 Report to Congress that evaluates future emission standards for cars and trucks. EPA is required by the Clean Air Act to consider further reductions in tailpipe emissions by 2004, and this report sets out EPA's plan.
Tier 1 standards were established in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 for the 1994 model year. They set specific emission requirements for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks. Tier 2 standards could not be implemented before the 2004 model year and would establish new standards for vehicles.
The report addressed three factors: air quality and more stringent standards; available technology to implement new standards; and cost-effectiveness of new standards.
EPA has outlined several initiatives that might be incorporated into new regulations. First, reducing sulfur levels in gasoline. EPA is concerned that sulfur interferes with the catalyst converter and would like to see sulfur levels lowered. Next, establishing identical emission standards for cars and light duty trucks. This is in response to the growing number of sport utility vehicles. Finally, the EPA is considering identical emission standards for gasoline and diesel engines.
The report is a discussion of evidence that will likely be used for future regulations issued by EPA.
EPA Expands Refrigerant Regulations || Caught Between the Past and the Future || How Shops Compensate Technicians || Automated Estimating Systems Ease Body Shop Life Despite Problems || Guest Editorial || Tech to Tech || Tech Tips || News Briefs || Taking the Hill || Around ASA || Net Worth || Stat Corner || Shop Profile || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLVI, October 1998 (http://www.asashop.org)