New York Air Pollution Control Regulations
Written October 17, 2019
Part 234, Graphic Arts, applies to all screen printers in New York State. Facilities located in severe ozone non-attainment areas and facilities with actual VOC emissions of greater than 3 tons per year on a 12-month rolling basis are subject to the entire Part 234 as specified, while facilities located outside a severe ozone non-attainment area with actual VOC emissions less than 3 tons per year on a 12-month rolling basis are subject to only some sections of Part 234. Currently, severe ozone nonattainment areas include all of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland Counties and parts of Lower Orange County (towns of Blooming Grove, Chester, Highland, Monroe, Tuxedo, Warwick and Woodbury). The following activities are exempt from Part 234:
- 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 pattern;
- 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;
- Proof presses; or
- The use of specialty ink, coating or adhesive where the facility's total actual annual usage of all specialty ink, coating and adhesive is no more than 55 gallons, on a 12-month rolling basis.
The requirements for screen printing apply to facilities in severe non-attainment areas, and to facilities outside the severe non-attainment area whose annual PTE VOC emissions are more than 50 tons per year. If applicable, the following requirements apply:
- 3.3 pounds as applied to paper, glass, metal, plastic, vinyl, reflective sheeting, textile/imprinted garments or pressure sensitive decals; or
- 5.0 pounds as applied for serigraph