The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District is proposing to amend District rules to reduce air pollution caused by cleaning solvents. The provisions would include requirements for work practices, reactive organic compound (ROC) content limits, and solvent cleaning devices and methods.The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District is seeking to amend rules concerning Surface Coating of Metal Parts and Products (Rules 330), Surface Coating of Aerospace Vehicles and Components (Rules 337), Polyester Resin operations (Rules 349), and Adhesives and Sealants (Rules 353).
The purpose is to add general solvent cleaning provisions similar to those found in Rule 321, Solvent Cleaning Machines and Solvent Cleaning, to each of these operation-specific rules, in order to reduce the amount of air pollution in Santa Barbara’s atmosphere. In addition, the proposed revisions would add rule exemptions and other requirements currently found in Rule 321 (including recordkeeping and source testing) as well as establish a compliance time frame.
The District is also proposing to expand the definition of solvent to include any liquid containing any ROC or toxic air contaminant, as the term is defined in Rule 321, in order to preclude operators from switching from non-toxic to toxic solvents to meet the solvent cleaning requirements. It has been proposed that the ROC-content limits, specified in Rule 349 for polyester resin materials and Rule 337 coatings, also be lowered.
The District held a public workshop on the project, met with stakeholders, and collected and reviewed the resulting feedback. A hearing on the proposed amendments has not yet been held, but the rules are scheduled to be considered for adoption by the air district board in 2012.
About the Author