The Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) a regional group of New England and Mid-Atlantic states adopted a resolution, the Model Rule for Motor Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Non-Assembly Line Coatings Operations, at its recent fall meeting in Baltimore. In creating the model rule, the OTC followed the California Air Resources Board Suggested Control Measure for Automotive Coatings, which was released in October of 2005.
The resolution states "the OTC member states will pursue as necessary and appropriate state-specific rulemakings to update state rules in accordance with the OTC Model Rule for Motor Vehicle and Mobile Equipment Non-Assembly Line Coatings Operations."
In addition to volatile organic compound (VOC) limits outlined in the model rule, the OTC proposal contains equipment, training and recordkeeping requirements. The rule does not go as far as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s auto refinishing regulation with regard to equipment requirements, i.e., requiring a spray booth. These federal U.S. EPA regulations will be effective for existing collision shops in early 2011.
The compliance date for the OTC Model Rule is Jan. 1, 2012.
The OTC was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Clean Air Act, to ensure the development and implementation of regional strategies to reduce concentrations of ground-level ozone to healthful levels in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Member states include: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.