EPA is proceeding with a proposal from October 25, 2017 to update several voluntary consensus standards listed at 40 CFR § 770.99 and incorporated by reference in the Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products rule.
EPA is withdrawing the direct final rule issued on October 25, 2017 because the Agency received adverse comment on the rulemaking. EPA will issue a final rule after considering all of the comments received during the proposed rule’s comment period.
These proposed updates apply to emissions testing methods and regulated composite wood product construction characteristics. Several of those voluntary consensus standards (i.e., technical specifications for products or processes developed by standard-setting bodies) were updated, withdrawn, and/or superseded through the normal course of business by these bodies to take into account new information, technology, and methodologies.
Additionally, the proposed rule corrects the rule at 40 CFR § 770.20(b) by allowing the formaldehyde emissions mill quality control test methods to correlate to either the ASTM E1333-14 test method or, upon a showing of equivalence, the ASTM D6007-14 test method. This correlation was inadvertently omitted from the original final rule. The correction aligns the mill quality control testing requirements with the California Air Resources Board standards allowing mill quality control tests to be correlated to the less expensive ASTM D6007-14 test method.
Also note that on September 25, 2017, EPA issued a final rule to extend the compliance dates for the December 12, 2016 final Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products Rule. Read more about this action on EPA’s website.
Read the direct final rule withdrawal notice and the proposed rule.
Visit EPA’s formaldehyde website for additional information on TSCA Title VI final rule.