EPA Submitted a Proposal for a Two-Part Regulation

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted a proposal for a two-part regulation governing formaldehyde emissions from particleboard, MDF/HDF and hardwood plywood which is to apply in future across the whole of the USA. This means that following the respective decisions of the US Congress, the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act which was passed on 7 July 2010 with the signature of President Barack Obama has been implemented. According to the plans at the time, the EPA was to define applicable emission guidelines for composite-wood products across the USA from 1 July 2011 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Those guidelines were then to be passed with effect from 1 January 2013 and enter into force 180 days later. In a next step, the EPA was also, in coordination with the Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal authorities, to adapt the regulations for the import of composite-wood products to the new legislation by 1 July 2013.