CPA and The FWIC Submitted Criticisms and Proposed Amendments for Plans to Revise Rules

The Composite Panel Association (CPA) and the Federal Wood Industries Coalition (FWIC) submitted criticisms and proposed amendments for plans to revise rules governing formaldehyde emissions from particleboard, MDF/HDF and hardwood plywood. These comments were filed just a short time before the end of a public notice period that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended twice. In a first 23-page letter sent on 25 September, the CPA commented on the third-party certification (TPC) system proposed by the EPA. In the letter, the CPA called for a more standardised and simplified TPC system and the widest possible convergence with California's ATCM system, which has been run by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) since 2009. On 8 Oc-tober, the association submitted comments set out over 35 pages about the planned formaldehyde emission rules. The association criticised much stricter requirements for laminated board caused by the revised rules, inadequate consideration of various areas of application, the lack of de minimis rules and the sharing of confidential information associated with documentation duties. Similar arguments are raised in a five-page letter that the FWIC submitted to the EPA on 9 October. The FWIC's comments are supported by 13 industry associations, including the CPA and the Brussels-based European Panel Federation (EPF).