Contact:	Bob Redding (202) 543-1440
For Release:	Immediate News Bulletin 98-75 September 17, 1998

EPA Issues VOC Rule

Washington, D.C., September 17, 1998-- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new regulations for volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission standards for automobile refinish coatings. The new rule impacts manufacturers, processors, wholesale distributors, and importers. The EPA anticipates that the regulation will result in a reduction of 31,900 tons of VOC annually.

The EPA is targeting VOC emissions because smog is formed when VOCs combine with oxides of nitrogen. By reducing VOC emissions, the EPA hopes to reduce ground level ozone. Prior to this rulemaking VOCs were not federally regulated, although some states had regulated VOCs. The new rules will apply uniformly throughout the nation, while states will be allowed to promulgate more stringent regulations.

In addition to the VOC limitations imposed by the rule, regulated entities must file a report with the EPA with information such as the manufacturer's name, address, the code to translate the date of manufacturer printed on the container, and the address of the production location. All coating containers must contain information about the date of manufacture.

The EPA estimates that the annual cost of the new rule will be $4.5 million, about $160 per megagram of VOC emission reduction. The EPA believes that this is an economically efficient way to obtain VOC emission reductions.

The EPA published the proposed rule in the Federal Register on April 30, 1996 and again on Dec. 30, 1997.

Table 1.--VOC Content Standards for Automobile Refinish Coatings
Coating category	VOC Content*, grams/liter (pounds/ gallon)
Pretreatment Wash Primer	780 (6.5)
Primer/Primer Surfacer	580 (4.8)
Primer Sealer	550 (4.6)
Single/2-Stage Topcoats	600 (5.0)
Topcoats of 3 or more stages	630 (5.2)
Multi-colored topcoats	680 (5.7)
Specialty Coatings**	840 (7.0)

* VOC content means the amount of VOC in a coating that has been prepared for application according to the regulated entity's mixing instructions, excluding water and exempt compounds. English units are provided for information only. Regulation enforcement will be based on the metric levels.

** Specialty coatings include adhesion promoters, low-gloss coatings, bright metal trim repair coatings, cut-in (jambing) clearcoats, elastomeric materials, impact-resistant coatings, underbody coatings, uniform finish blenders, and weld-through primers.

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind, serving more than 13,000 businesses and approximately 60,000 professionals from all segments of the automotive service industry. ASA is headquartered in Bedford, Texas.

ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. Additional information about ASA, including past news releases, is available on the ASA Web Site on the Internet (http://www.asashop.org).