The Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, International Fabricare Institute, the Textile Care Allied Trades Association and National Cleaners Association are asking for a review of EPA's amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Pollutants (NESHAPS), which were issued this summer. They filed a petition in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia at the end of September 2006.
The petition challenges the EPA's legal authority to impose a phase-out, as well as the Agency's dependence on a limited amount of data to make its decision.
In July, the EPA finalised amendments to the original 1993 drycleaning NESHAPs requiring leak detection and repair and prohibiting the operation of the oldest (transfer) machines, which are considered to have the highest emissions. The amendments also required the phasing-out of perc use by an estimated 1,300 drycleaners located in residential buildings in metropolitan New York and other urban areas by 2020.
“EPA has disregarded industry's legitimate concerns and Congress' clear intent with regard to these 1,300 mom-and-pop businesses,” said IFI president Bill Fisher.
