Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products; Notice of Public Meeting and Reopening of Comment Period, 19305-19307 [2014-07696]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules
TABLE TO § 165.173—Continued
5.1 RI National Guard
Air Show.
6.0
• Event Type: Air Show.
• Date: One weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) in May, June, or July, as announced in the local Notice to
Mariners.
• Time: Approximately 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Location: (1) All waters over the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, in the vicinity of the Quonset State Airport,
North Kingston, RI which are within a 4000-yard radius arc extending from position 41°35′44″ N, 071°24′14″ W
(NAD 83); and (2) All waters over the West Passage of Narragansett Bay, in the vicinity of Narragansett Pier, Narragansett, RI, which are within a 2000-yard radius arc extending from position 41°26′17″ N, 071°27′02″ W (NAD
83) (Friday only).
• Safety Zone Dimension: Approximately 1000 yards long by 1000 yards wide.
JUNE
*
6.2 Swim Buzzards
Bay.
*
*
*
• Event Type: Swim Event.
*
*
[FR Doc. 2014–07833 Filed 4–7–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–04–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
40 CFR Part 770
[EPA–HQ–OPPT–2012–0018; FRL–9909–05]
RIN 2070–AJ92
Formaldehyde Emissions Standards
for Composite Wood Products; Notice
of Public Meeting and Reopening of
Comment Period
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of meeting
and reopening of comment period.
AGENCY:
On June 10, 2013, EPA
published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal
Register entitled ‘‘Formaldehyde
Emissions Standards for Composite
Wood Products.’’ This document
announces a public meeting for April
28, 2014, and reopens the comment
period for the June 10, 2013 Federal
Register document for 30 days to allow
additional comments to be submitted by
the public. Information obtained at the
public meeting and during the comment
period will be considered by the Agency
when preparing the final regulations
implementing the formaldehyde
SUMMARY:
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*
*
*
• Date: One Saturday or Sunday in June, July, or August, as announced in the local Notice to Mariners.
• Location: The regulated area includes all waters in the vicinity of the Outer New Bedford Harbor, within 500 yards
along a centerline with an approximate start point of 41°36′35″ N, 070°54′18″ W (NAD 83) and an approximate end
point of 41°37′26″ N, 070°53′48″ W (NAD 83) at Davy’s Locker Restaurant in New Bedford, MA, to Fort Phoenix
Beach in Fairhaven, MA.
• Safety Zone Dimension: 500 yards on either side of the centerline described above.
Dated: March 5, 2014.
J.T. Kondratowicz,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the
Port Southeastern New England.
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emission standards. In particular, EPA
is requesting information related to the
treatment of laminated products under
the proposed regulations.
DATES: For the proposed rule published
June 10, 2013 (78 FR 34820), comments
must be received on or before May 8,
2014.
The meeting will be held on April 28,
2014, from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Requests to participate in the meeting
must be received on or before April 21,
2014.
Registered participants, if presenting
at the meeting, must request to be
scheduled to present on or before April
21, 2014.
To request accommodation of a
disability, please contact the technical
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably by
April 21, 2014, to give EPA as much
time as possible to process your request.
ADDRESSES: For submission of
comments, follow the detailed
instructions provided under ADDRESSES
in the Federal Register document of
June 10, 2013 (78 FR 34820) (FRL–
9342–3).
The meeting will be held at in the
East William Jefferson Clinton Bldg.,
Rm. 1153, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW.,
Washington, DC.
Submit requests to participate in the
meeting, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–
OPPT–2012–0018, to the technical
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Upon request, a
teleconferencing number will be
provided for those who wish to attend
the meeting remotely.
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*
*
Submit requests to schedule a
presentation at the meeting, identified
by docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPPT–
2012–0018, to the technical person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
For
technical information contact: Sara
Kemme, National Program Chemicals
Division (7404T), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001;
telephone number: (202) 566–0511;
email address: kemme.sara@epa.gov.
For general information contact: The
TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill, 422
South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY
14620; telephone number: (202) 554–
1404; email address: TSCA-Hotline@
epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be potentially affected by
this action if you manufacture
(including import), purchase, or sell
composite wood products. You may also
be affected if you manufacture
(including import), purchase, or sell
finished goods or component parts that
contain composite wood products. The
following list of North American
Industrial Classification System
(NAICS) codes is not intended to be
exhaustive, but rather provides a guide
to help readers determine whether this
document applies to them. Potentially
affected entities may include:
E:\FR\FM\08APP1.SGM
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19306
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules
rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
• Furniture and related product
manufacturing (NAICS code 337).
• Veneer, plywood, and engineered
wood product manufacturing (NAICS
code 3212).
• Plastics material and resin
manufacturing (NAICS code 325211).
• Furniture merchant wholesalers
(NAICS code 42321).
• Lumber, plywood, millwork, and
wood panel merchant wholesalers
(NAICS code 42331).
• Other construction material
merchant wholesalers (NAICS code
423390), e.g., merchant wholesale
distributors of manufactured homes
(i.e., mobile homes) and/or
prefabricated buildings.
If you have any questions regarding
the applicability of this action to a
particular entity, consult the technical
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What should I consider as I prepare
my comments for EPA?
1. Submitting Confidential Business
Information (CBI). Do not submit this
information to EPA through
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark
the part or all of the information that
you claim to be CBI. For CBI
information in a disk or CD–ROM that
you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the
disk or CD–ROM as CBI and then
identify electronically within the disk or
CD–ROM the specific information that
is claimed as CBI. In addition to one
complete version of the comment that
includes information claimed as CBI, a
copy of the comment that does not
contain the information claimed as CBI
must be submitted for inclusion in the
public docket. Information so marked
will not be disclosed except in
accordance with procedures set forth in
40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments.
When submitting comments, remember
to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID
number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal
Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may
ask you to respond to specific questions
or organize comments by referencing a
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part
or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree;
suggest alternatives and substitute
language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and
provide any technical information and/
or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or
burdens, explain how you arrived at
your estimate in sufficient detail to
allow for it to be reproduced.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:28 Apr 07, 2014
Jkt 232001
vi. Provide specific examples to
illustrate your concerns and suggest
alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as
possible, avoiding the use of profanity
or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your
comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
C. Are there requirements for meeting
presentations?
To ensure that all interested parties
will have an opportunity to comment in
the allotted time, oral presentations or
statements will be limited to 10
minutes. EPA, therefore, recommends
that stakeholders who present oral
comments also submit written
comments following the instructions
provided under ADDRESSES.
D. What is the Agency’s authority for
taking this action?
This document is being developed
under the authority of section 601 of the
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA),
15 U.S.C. 2697.
II. Background
On June 10, 2013, EPA published a
NPRM in the Federal Register entitled
‘‘Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for
Composite Wood Products’’ (Ref. 1).
After two extensions, the comment
period for the NPRM closed on October
9, 2013 (Ref. 2). After the closing of the
comment period, the California Air
Resources Board (CARB) provided
additional documents that EPA wishes
to consider in developing the final
regulation (Refs. 3 and 4). EPA is
especially interested in CARB’s
potential modifications to its Airborne
Toxics Control Measure to Reduce
Formaldehyde Emissions from
Composite Wood Products to address
laminated products (Ref. 3).
EPA received public comments on the
treatment of laminated products,
including several comments that
suggested laminated products should be
exempted from the definition of
hardwood plywood or, if not, they
should not be held to the same testing
requirements as hardwood plywood.
CARB suggested that laminated
products be held to an emission
standard, but that there should be no
required emissions testing (Ref. 3).
Some commenters suggested EPA
should consider self-certification for
smaller companies (Ref. 5). One of these
commenters suggested excluding small
companies that produce less than
100,000 square feet per year from the
testing and certification requirements
(Ref. 5). Another commenter, noting that
the proposed definition of laminated
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
product is limited to products made
with particleboard, medium-density
fiberboard, or veneer cores, suggested a
reduced testing frequency coupled with
third-party certifier oversight for all
laminated product producers and for all
similar products, regardless of core type
(Ref. 6). Other commenters suggested
that it is appropriate to reduce the
testing frequency by limiting the
required testing to annual testing (Ref.
7) and require laminated product
producers to test only their highest
emitting product (Ref. 8).
EPA has also received input on the
appropriate emission standard, if any,
for laminated products. One commenter
suggested that, because hardwood
plywood is indistinguishable from
laminated products, the hardwood
plywood emission standard is
appropriate (Ref. 6). CARB suggested
that laminated product producers could
be expected to meet an emission
standard identical to the thin mediumdensity fiberboard standard (Ref. 3).
Another commenter suggested the
particleboard emission standard is the
most appropriate standard for laminated
products (Ref. 9). Another commenter,
while not suggesting a specific emission
standard, noted that, in many cases,
laminated products are intermediate
products that are not offered for sale,
and stated that EPA’s proposal ‘‘gives no
credit or recognition to the significant
reduction in emissions when a product
is laminated and finished’’ (Ref. 10).
The Agency is seeking additional
public input related to laminated
products. The purpose of this meeting
and the reopening of the comment
period is to facilitate additional public
input regarding potential modifications
to EPA’s proposed treatment of
laminated products under the proposed
regulation, including options based on
the ideas raised in the comments
discussed in this unit. With respect to
the treatment of laminated products,
EPA is considering one, or a
combination of, the following: CARB’s
latest proposal (Ref. 1); a reduced testing
program for laminated products, a selfcertification program for laminated
products, an exemption of laminated
products from the definition of
‘‘hardwood plywood’’; or an exemption
from testing and certification
requirements for all laminated products
or just those made by a low-volume
producer. EPA requests comment and
information on what an appropriate
production volume threshold for testing
and certification might be. EPA is also
considering whether third-party
certification should be required for
laminated products if emission testing
for these products is required; what
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 67 / Tuesday, April 8, 2014 / Proposed Rules
Executive Officer, Woodcraft Industries,
Inc. (EPA–HQ–OPPT–2012–0018–0590).
8. Comment submitted by Mike Zimmerman,
Laboratory Manager, Sauder
Woodworking Corporation (EPA–HQ–
OPPT–2012–0018–0566).
¨
9. Comment submitted by Magnus Bjork,
Compliance Development Specialist,
IKEA Trading Operations on behalf of
IKEA of Sweden (EPA–HQ–OPPT–2012–
0018–0530).
10. Comment submitted by Bill Perdue, Vice
President of Regulatory Affairs,
American Home Furnishings Alliance
(EPA–HQ–OPPT–2012–0018–0562).
III. References
A docket has been established for this
document under docket ID number
EPA–HQ–OPPT–2012–0018. The
following is a list of the documents that
are specifically referenced in this
document. The docket includes these
documents and other information
including documents that are referenced
within the documents that are included
in the docket, even if the referenced
document is not physically located in
the docket. For assistance in locating
these other documents, please consult
the technical person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
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emission standard, if any, would be
appropriate for laminated products; and
whether laminated products should be
grouped for testing purposes. EPA is
also requesting comment on associated
definitional changes, including those in
CARB’s latest proposal, and other
potential changes to the definition of
‘‘laminated product’’ (Ref. 3), such as
expanding the eligible platforms to
cover the cores identified in the
definition of ‘‘hardwood plywood’’ (Ref.
4).
EPA is reopening the comment period
for the June 10, 2013 Federal Register
document to allow interested parties to
submit additional relevant information
before or after the public meeting. The
reopened comment period will stay
open through the public meeting on
April 28, 2014, and continue to remain
open until May 8, 2014 to accommodate
written follow-up comments that
participants or the general public wish
to submit after the public meeting.
Comments will be accepted regardless
of whether the submitter participates in
the public meeting.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
1. Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for
Composite Wood Products (78 FR 34820,
June 10, 2013) (FRL–9342–3).
2. Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for
Composite Wood Products; Extension of
Comment Period (78 FR 51695, August
21, 2013) (FRL–9397–2).
3. CARB. Staff Proposal, Alternate Regulatory
Approach for Laminated Products Made
with Wood Veneer. March 13, 2014.
4. CARB. Preliminary Draft, Amended Final
Regulation Order. March 17, 2014.
5. Comment submitted by Joseph H. DuPree,
Jr., Chief Operating Officer, Custom
Wholesale Floors, Inc. (EPA–HQ–OPPT–
2012–0018–0541).
6. Comment submitted by Kip Howlett,
President, Brian Sause, Director of
Testing, Certification and Standards, and
Josh Hosen, Manager of Certification
Services, Hardwood Plywood and
Veneer Association (EPA–HQ–OPPT–
2012–0018–0571).
7. Comment submitted by John Goebel, Chief
Executive Officer, Northern Contours,
Inc. and John Fitzpatrick, Chief
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15:28 Apr 07, 2014
Jkt 232001
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 770
Environmental protection, Composite
wood, Formaldehyde, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Toxic
substances, Wood.
Dated: March 28, 2014.
James Jones,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014–07696 Filed 4–7–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2013–0014;
4500030113]
RIN 1018–AZ32
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Designation of Critical
Habitat for the New Mexico Meadow
Jumping Mouse
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of
comment period.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
reopening of the public comment period
on the June 20, 2013, proposed
designation of critical habitat for the
New Mexico meadow jumping mouse
(Zapus hudsonius luteus) under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act). We also announce the
availability of a draft economic analysis
and draft environmental assessment of
the proposed designation, as well as an
amended required determinations of the
proposal. We are reopening the
comment period to allow all interested
parties an opportunity to comment
simultaneously on the proposed critical
habitat rule, the associated draft
economic analysis and draft
environmental assessment, and the
amended required determinations
SUMMARY:
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19307
section. Comments previously
submitted need not be resubmitted, as
they will be fully considered in
preparation of the final rule.
DATES: The comment due date for the
proposed rule published in the Federal
Register on June 20, 2013 (78 FR 37328)
is extended. We will consider comments
received or postmarked on or before
May 8, 2014. Comments submitted
electronically using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES
section, below) must be received by
11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing
date.
ADDRESSES:
Document availability: You may
obtain copies of the proposed rule and
the associated documents of the draft
economic analysis and draft
environmental assessment on the
internet at https://www.regulations.gov at
Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2013–0014 or
by mail from the New Mexico Ecological
Services Field Office (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Written comments: You may submit
written comments by one of the
following methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Submit comments
on the critical habitat proposal and
associated draft economic analysis and
draft environmental assessment by
searching for FWS–R2–ES–2013–0014,
which is the docket for the critical
habitat rulemaking.
(2) By hard copy: Submit comments
on the critical habitat proposal and
associated draft economic analysis and
draft environmental assessment by U.S.
mail or hand-delivery to: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R2–
ES–2013–0014; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive,
MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
We request that you send comments
only by the methods described above.
We will post all comments on https://
www.regulations.gov. This generally
means that we will post any personal
information you provide us (see the
Public Comments section below for
more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wally ‘‘J’’ Murphy, Field Supervisor,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New
Mexico Ecological Services Field Office,
2105 Osuna NE., Albuquerque, NM
87113; by telephone 505–346–2525; or
by facsimile 505–346–2542. Persons
who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at
800–877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\08APP1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19305-19307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07696]
=======================================================================
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 770
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018; FRL-9909-05]
RIN 2070-AJ92
Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products;
Notice of Public Meeting and Reopening of Comment Period
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of meeting and reopening of comment
period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On June 10, 2013, EPA published a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register entitled ``Formaldehyde
Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products.'' This document
announces a public meeting for April 28, 2014, and reopens the comment
period for the June 10, 2013 Federal Register document for 30 days to
allow additional comments to be submitted by the public. Information
obtained at the public meeting and during the comment period will be
considered by the Agency when preparing the final regulations
implementing the formaldehyde emission standards. In particular, EPA is
requesting information related to the treatment of laminated products
under the proposed regulations.
DATES: For the proposed rule published June 10, 2013 (78 FR 34820),
comments must be received on or before May 8, 2014.
The meeting will be held on April 28, 2014, from 1 p.m. to 3:30
p.m.
Requests to participate in the meeting must be received on or
before April 21, 2014.
Registered participants, if presenting at the meeting, must request
to be scheduled to present on or before April 21, 2014.
To request accommodation of a disability, please contact the
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT,
preferably by April 21, 2014, to give EPA as much time as possible to
process your request.
ADDRESSES: For submission of comments, follow the detailed instructions
provided under ADDRESSES in the Federal Register document of June 10,
2013 (78 FR 34820) (FRL-9342-3).
The meeting will be held at in the East William Jefferson Clinton
Bldg., Rm. 1153, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC.
Submit requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018, to the technical
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Upon request, a
teleconferencing number will be provided for those who wish to attend
the meeting remotely.
Submit requests to schedule a presentation at the meeting,
identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018, to the technical
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information contact:
Sara Kemme, National Program Chemicals Division (7404T), Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxics, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
(202) 566-0511; email address: kemme.sara@epa.gov.
For general information contact: The TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill,
422 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620; telephone number: (202)
554-1404; email address: TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you manufacture
(including import), purchase, or sell composite wood products. You may
also be affected if you manufacture (including import), purchase, or
sell finished goods or component parts that contain composite wood
products. The following list of North American Industrial
Classification System (NAICS) codes is not intended to be exhaustive,
but rather provides a guide to help readers determine whether this
document applies to them. Potentially affected entities may include:
[[Page 19306]]
Furniture and related product manufacturing (NAICS code
337).
Veneer, plywood, and engineered wood product manufacturing
(NAICS code 3212).
Plastics material and resin manufacturing (NAICS code
325211).
Furniture merchant wholesalers (NAICS code 42321).
Lumber, plywood, millwork, and wood panel merchant
wholesalers (NAICS code 42331).
Other construction material merchant wholesalers (NAICS
code 423390), e.g., merchant wholesale distributors of manufactured
homes (i.e., mobile homes) and/or prefabricated buildings.
If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this
action to a particular entity, consult the technical person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
1. Submitting Confidential Business Information (CBI). Do not
submit this information to EPA through regulations.gov or email.
Clearly mark the part or all of the information that you claim to be
CBI. For CBI information in a disk or CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark
the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as CBI and then identify
electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the specific information that
is claimed as CBI. In addition to one complete version of the comment
that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy of the comment that
does not contain the information claimed as CBI must be submitted for
inclusion in the public docket. Information so marked will not be
disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part
2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
C. Are there requirements for meeting presentations?
To ensure that all interested parties will have an opportunity to
comment in the allotted time, oral presentations or statements will be
limited to 10 minutes. EPA, therefore, recommends that stakeholders who
present oral comments also submit written comments following the
instructions provided under ADDRESSES.
D. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?
This document is being developed under the authority of section 601
of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), 15 U.S.C. 2697.
II. Background
On June 10, 2013, EPA published a NPRM in the Federal Register
entitled ``Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood
Products'' (Ref. 1). After two extensions, the comment period for the
NPRM closed on October 9, 2013 (Ref. 2). After the closing of the
comment period, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) provided
additional documents that EPA wishes to consider in developing the
final regulation (Refs. 3 and 4). EPA is especially interested in
CARB's potential modifications to its Airborne Toxics Control Measure
to Reduce Formaldehyde Emissions from Composite Wood Products to
address laminated products (Ref. 3).
EPA received public comments on the treatment of laminated
products, including several comments that suggested laminated products
should be exempted from the definition of hardwood plywood or, if not,
they should not be held to the same testing requirements as hardwood
plywood. CARB suggested that laminated products be held to an emission
standard, but that there should be no required emissions testing (Ref.
3). Some commenters suggested EPA should consider self-certification
for smaller companies (Ref. 5). One of these commenters suggested
excluding small companies that produce less than 100,000 square feet
per year from the testing and certification requirements (Ref. 5).
Another commenter, noting that the proposed definition of laminated
product is limited to products made with particleboard, medium-density
fiberboard, or veneer cores, suggested a reduced testing frequency
coupled with third-party certifier oversight for all laminated product
producers and for all similar products, regardless of core type (Ref.
6). Other commenters suggested that it is appropriate to reduce the
testing frequency by limiting the required testing to annual testing
(Ref. 7) and require laminated product producers to test only their
highest emitting product (Ref. 8).
EPA has also received input on the appropriate emission standard,
if any, for laminated products. One commenter suggested that, because
hardwood plywood is indistinguishable from laminated products, the
hardwood plywood emission standard is appropriate (Ref. 6). CARB
suggested that laminated product producers could be expected to meet an
emission standard identical to the thin medium-density fiberboard
standard (Ref. 3). Another commenter suggested the particleboard
emission standard is the most appropriate standard for laminated
products (Ref. 9). Another commenter, while not suggesting a specific
emission standard, noted that, in many cases, laminated products are
intermediate products that are not offered for sale, and stated that
EPA's proposal ``gives no credit or recognition to the significant
reduction in emissions when a product is laminated and finished'' (Ref.
10).
The Agency is seeking additional public input related to laminated
products. The purpose of this meeting and the reopening of the comment
period is to facilitate additional public input regarding potential
modifications to EPA's proposed treatment of laminated products under
the proposed regulation, including options based on the ideas raised in
the comments discussed in this unit. With respect to the treatment of
laminated products, EPA is considering one, or a combination of, the
following: CARB's latest proposal (Ref. 1); a reduced testing program
for laminated products, a self-certification program for laminated
products, an exemption of laminated products from the definition of
``hardwood plywood''; or an exemption from testing and certification
requirements for all laminated products or just those made by a low-
volume producer. EPA requests comment and information on what an
appropriate production volume threshold for testing and certification
might be. EPA is also considering whether third-party certification
should be required for laminated products if emission testing for these
products is required; what
[[Page 19307]]
emission standard, if any, would be appropriate for laminated products;
and whether laminated products should be grouped for testing purposes.
EPA is also requesting comment on associated definitional changes,
including those in CARB's latest proposal, and other potential changes
to the definition of ``laminated product'' (Ref. 3), such as expanding
the eligible platforms to cover the cores identified in the definition
of ``hardwood plywood'' (Ref. 4).
EPA is reopening the comment period for the June 10, 2013 Federal
Register document to allow interested parties to submit additional
relevant information before or after the public meeting. The reopened
comment period will stay open through the public meeting on April 28,
2014, and continue to remain open until May 8, 2014 to accommodate
written follow-up comments that participants or the general public wish
to submit after the public meeting. Comments will be accepted
regardless of whether the submitter participates in the public meeting.
III. References
A docket has been established for this document under docket ID
number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018. The following is a list of the documents
that are specifically referenced in this document. The docket includes
these documents and other information including documents that are
referenced within the documents that are included in the docket, even
if the referenced document is not physically located in the docket. For
assistance in locating these other documents, please consult the
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
1. Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products (78
FR 34820, June 10, 2013) (FRL-9342-3).
2. Formaldehyde Emissions Standards for Composite Wood Products;
Extension of Comment Period (78 FR 51695, August 21, 2013) (FRL-
9397-2).
3. CARB. Staff Proposal, Alternate Regulatory Approach for Laminated
Products Made with Wood Veneer. March 13, 2014.
4. CARB. Preliminary Draft, Amended Final Regulation Order. March
17, 2014.
5. Comment submitted by Joseph H. DuPree, Jr., Chief Operating
Officer, Custom Wholesale Floors, Inc. (EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018-0541).
6. Comment submitted by Kip Howlett, President, Brian Sause,
Director of Testing, Certification and Standards, and Josh Hosen,
Manager of Certification Services, Hardwood Plywood and Veneer
Association (EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018-0571).
7. Comment submitted by John Goebel, Chief Executive Officer,
Northern Contours, Inc. and John Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive
Officer, Woodcraft Industries, Inc. (EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018-0590).
8. Comment submitted by Mike Zimmerman, Laboratory Manager, Sauder
Woodworking Corporation (EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018-0566).
9. Comment submitted by Magnus Bj[ouml]rk, Compliance Development
Specialist, IKEA Trading Operations on behalf of IKEA of Sweden
(EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018-0530).
10. Comment submitted by Bill Perdue, Vice President of Regulatory
Affairs, American Home Furnishings Alliance (EPA-HQ-OPPT-2012-0018-
0562).
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 770
Environmental protection, Composite wood, Formaldehyde, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements, Toxic substances, Wood.
Dated: March 28, 2014.
James Jones,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2014-07696 Filed 4-7-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
