NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

June 1, 2009
Vol. 39, No. 247

For more information contact Jim Snead, Air Quality Management Section, 302-323-4542; or Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

                  Workshop Set for June 9 on Proposed Air Toxics
            Emission Standard for Plating and Polishing Operations


DNREC’s Air Quality Management Section will hold a public workshop beginning at 6 p.m. June 9 on the adoption of a new air toxics standard for Hazardous Air Pollutant Regulation #1138. The workshop will be held at DNREC’s Air Quality Management Office, 715 Grantham Lane in New Castle.

The new air toxics standard may impact any owner or operator of plating or polishing operations that uses or emits compounds of cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese or nickel. The facilities include metal coating operations and dry polishing of previously plated products that provide either a decorative finish, a corrosion-resistance finish or a wear-resistance finish.

DNREC’s Air Quality Management Section’s planned adoption of the new air toxics standard will bring Delaware’s air toxics regulatory program into closer alignment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for area or small sources.

The purpose of the workshop is to educate the public and industry on the draft regulatory requirements and obtain comments and recommendations that will help develop the formal proposed Delaware air toxics standard.

The draft regulation and related information is available at: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/whs/awm/Info/Regs/Pages/PandP.aspx.

In the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act, Congress sought to reduce cancer and non-cancer health risks due to the exposure of hazardous air pollutants by mandating that EPA identify 30 or more Hazardous Air Pollutants that pose the greatest threat to public health in urban areas, identify those small sources that emit any of those pollutants and promulgate standards to reduce the associated health risks.

For additional information on this workshop, contact Jim Snead, Air Quality Management Section, 302-323-4542 or Kim Chesser, Small Business Ombudsman, 302-739-9909.