The California Autobody Association (CAA) will promote a new pollution prevention partnership with the U.S. EPA by encouraging its members to apply for subsidies and rebates available under federal, state and local green programs, David McClune, CAA executive director, announced.
The CAA partnership under the EPA Collision Repair Campaign (CRC) is an effort to address health threats and reduce auto body emissions. The partnership is aimed at reducing toxic exposures from collision repair operations in accordance with a Certified Green Investment (CGI) shop scoring system validated by GRC-Pirk Management, CAA says.
The CGI program helps owners and operators pay for the cost of compliance through grants and rebates using an EPA licensed professional. The U.S. EPA developed the CRC Campaign to focus on meaningful risk reduction in the Collision Repair source sector to complement their ongoing community air toxics work and attain reductions at a faster rate. The mutual promotion also serves as an opportunity for shops to work toward early compliance with the new Area Source Rule (NESHAP 6H) for spray coating operations.
“CAA has always led the nation in efforts to keep collision repair shops eco-friendly and environmentally responsible, and now we have the means to validate our venture,” said McClune. “Our members will be able to display third party evidence that they care for the environment and the community they serve. Ecological excellence for each member is top priority. Our goal is to reduce the negative environmental and health impacts on shop employees and surrounding communities by certifying members that establish sustainable best management and pollution prevention practices.”
EPA anticipates that its National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Paint Stripping and Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operations at Area Sources Rule, sometimes called the “6H” or “Area Source” Rule, will prove successful at reducing air toxics. EPA has worked to develop air toxics standards that achieve the required reductions in air pollution while providing regulated communities with as much flexibility as possible in deciding how to comply with the standards, CAA says.
For example, under a flexible regulation, industries may reduce emissions by redesigning processes, capturing and recycling emissions, changing work practices or installing any of a variety of control technologies. Flexibility helps industries minimize the cost of compliance and encourages pollution prevention.
More information:
• EPA Collision Repair Campaign
• GRC-Pirk
• CAA
