Body shops in Orange County, Calif., and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the smoggiest region of the U.S., had to switch to low-VOC basecoats and clearcoats effective July 1, 2008 to comply with Rule 1151.

Naveen Berry, planning and rules manager for the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), was on the front line of that switch and will be sharing details of the successful transition at the 2009 BodyShop Business Waterborne Conference to be held Aug. 13-14 at Sawmill Creek Resort in Huron, Ohio.

“In Southern California, the transition to waterborne technology has been a true success story thanks to the commitment of suppliers to provide training to local body shops and the local meteorology,” Berry says. “The waterborne technology has resulted in significantly lowering VOC emissions and hazardous wastes without any impacts on productivity.”

For more information on the 2009 BodyShop Business Waterborne Conference, visit www.waterbornefacts.com.