On October 23, 2019, New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued its final rule updating Subpart 226-1, Solvent Cleaning. The major additions to this rule were the provisions in Subpart 226-2, Industrial Cleaning Solvents. This portion of the rule applies to all facilities with actual emissions of 3 tons or more of volatile organic compounds from industrial cleaning solvents, on a twelve-month rolling basis.
SGIA submitted comments on this rule expressing concerns that the rule would apply to printing operations and urging the DEC to exclude printing from it because cleaning solvents used in printing are already subject to the requirements in a specific rule, Part 234, that applies to printing operations. The comments were accepted and SGIA was able to obtain an exemption from this rule for industrial cleaning solvents used by all graphic arts operations because Part 234 applies to, offset lithographic, flexographic, rotogravure, screen printing or letterpress. Further, the newly adopted industrial cleaning solvent rule also exempted in the following printing activities identified in Subpart 234.1(d):
• digital printing presses,
• screen printing processes that only use conductive ink to produce electronic circuits that permit electric current flow through the printed line or patterns,
• screen printing processes that only use sterilization indicating ink to monitor the sterilization of medical instruments, autoclave efficiency, and the thermal processing of foods for the prevention of spoilage, and
• proof presses
For more information on this regulatory rule change, please contact SGIA’s Government Affairs Department at govtaffairs@sgia.org.
SGIA submitted comments on this rule expressing concerns that the rule would apply to printing operations and urging the DEC to exclude printing from it because cleaning solvents used in printing are already subject to the requirements in a specific rule, Part 234, that applies to printing operations. The comments were accepted and SGIA was able to obtain an exemption from this rule for industrial cleaning solvents used by all graphic arts operations because Part 234 applies to, offset lithographic, flexographic, rotogravure, screen printing or letterpress. Further, the newly adopted industrial cleaning solvent rule also exempted in the following printing activities identified in Subpart 234.1(d):
• digital printing presses,
• screen printing processes that only use conductive ink to produce electronic circuits that permit electric current flow through the printed line or patterns,
• screen printing processes that only use sterilization indicating ink to monitor the sterilization of medical instruments, autoclave efficiency, and the thermal processing of foods for the prevention of spoilage, and
• proof presses
For more information on this regulatory rule change, please contact SGIA’s Government Affairs Department at govtaffairs@sgia.org.