Formaldehyde Enforcement Began June 1

by | Jun 8, 2018 | News

As of Friday, June 1, it is illegal to manufacture or import composite wood products in the U.S. if they contain excessive amounts of formaldehyde.

An agreement has been reached in the case of Sierra Club v. Pruitt that sets new Formaldehyde Rule “manufactured by” dates for producers and fabricators of composite wood panels to June 1, 2018, for CARB Phase 2 or TSCA Title VI compliant materials, with only TSCA Title VI compliant and labeled products allowable after March 22, 2019.

“CPA and its members are pleased with the terms of the stipulated agreement, which, if accepted by the Court, will ensure that North American composite panel manufacturers and their customers can manage inventories and comply with TSCA Title VI in a timely manner. The settlement represents a remarkable example of cooperation between environmental groups, industry, and the government, which has characterized the efforts on this issue since 2008,” said Jackson Morrill, president of the Composite Panel Association.

“This has been a collaborative effort between Sierra Club, EPA, KCMA and a number of other trade associations,” said Betsy Natz, CEO of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA). “Our collective associations were able to provide EPA and the Sierra Club with critical information on the practical implications of setting a compliance date that would be unworkable to our respective industries.”

The agreement results from a lawsuit between the Louisiana non-profit Sierra Club and the EPA, in which Sierra Club challenged the EPA’s delay of the formaldehyde limits. Many Sierra members are survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Formaldehyde was used to treat wood products in FEMA trailers deployed shortly after the hurricane struck in 2005.

Read more on this from Woodworking Network at https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/formaldehyde-enforcement-begins-now?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news.

KCMA Could Defend EPA In Formaldehyde Lawsuit

by | Nov 6, 2017 | News

The Kitchen Cabinet Makers Association (KCMA) may come to the defense of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after various non-profit organizations throughout Louisiana announced they would sue the EPA for stalling its formaldehyde rule enforcement.

Through the lawsuit, Louisiana-based NGOs Sierra Club and Earthjustice are demanding the EPA be prevented from extending compliance with new regulation. Both groups survived Hurricane Katrina, in which FEMA deployed trailers containing formaldehyde-treated wood products to assist displaced victims.

“It is outrageous that people recovering from this year’s hurricanes might have to deal with the same health issues in their emergency housing that the EPA has known about — and was supposed to address — years ago,” attorney Patti Goldman said in a statement. Earthjustice published a story about their decision to sue on its website.

“Though the story is wrought with errors with respect to the alleged adverse health effects from formaldehyde exposure, the fact remains that a lawsuit has been filed that could impact the earlier granted extensions of the compliance dates to December 12, 2018,” said the KCMA in its newsletter. “KCMA is exploring our options and potential involvement in the suit; we will provide more details in the coming days. KCMA is also reaching out this week to related D.C. trade associations and will work with them to ensure a coordinated effort on this important issue.”

From Woodworking Network: https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-news/kcma-could-defend-epa-formaldehyde-lawsuit?ss=news,news,woodworking_industry_news,news,almanac_market_data,news,canadian_news