SGIA Submits Comments to Utah on Proposed Industrial Cleaning Solvent Rule

On March 28, 2017 SGIA submitted comments to Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality regarding the state’s proposed rule on industrial solvent use. The state agency is proposing to remove all mentions of industrial cleaning solvents from their degreasing rule, R307-335. Furthermore, the proposed rule R307-304 is the new industrial cleaning solvent rule which adopts standards based on the recommendations of the EPA’s Industrial Cleaning Solvent Control Techniques Guidelines (CTG). In our comments, we supported the proposed 500 g/L VOC limit for screen printing operations. Solvents are used in such key areas of the screen printing process, and as such it is essential that VOC limits are set at a reasonable level. SGIA also recommended that the department exempt cleaning operations associated with digital printing. The CTG was first drafted in the 1990s and does not address digital printing or other emerging sectors. Due to this, other states have already exempted industrial cleaning assisted with digital printing from their own state VOC regulations. SGIA continues to monitor this legislation. Sign up to receive the most up-to-date regulatory and legislative information about specialty imaging.