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NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER HOSTS ANNUAL VIRTUAL MARCH SEMINAR

Date: March 23, 2024
Category: Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, NASF National, Regulation

NENASF logo

The New England Chapter of NASF was, once again, pleased to host a virtual Wastewater Continuing Education Webinar for the benefit of our membership and the entire metal finishing community. This event was offered via Zoom format, at no charge to NENASF members, over a two-hour period from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Wednesday March 20, 2024.

 

The program, comprised of three speakers, offered vital technical and regulatory compliance information to the metal finishing community. Attendees also qualified for two Continuing Education Wastewater Treatment Contact Hours to be used towards Wastewater license renewal.

 

Frank DeSilva of Resin Tech opened the Webinar with an update on the current status of the very hot button PFAS issue and regulatory efforts by the EPA. After giving us some very helpful facts, he then offered remediation techniques and technologies for successful PFAS removal from waste streams.

This presentation was followed by one from Mark Schario of Columbia Chemicals who enlightened attendees with a history of Trivalent Chrome plating baths and how they have greatly improved in appearance and durability over the last three or four decades. The substitution of Hex Chrome plating baths with trivalent baths is a very timely presentation given the TSCA chemical banning frenzy that is taking place across all chemical user and manufacturer sectors, especially in the metal finishing community.

The closing speaker was Dave Calnan of CCI-A Chemicals offering practical solutions and techniques for, and benefits of, oxidizing wastewater prior to reduction and precipitation.

 

Special thanks, once again, to Chris Capalbo, Dev Massimi and Ralph Capalbo as Program Moderators and Speaker Facilitators for their contributions, and to the combined efforts of NASF Board Members, Committee Members, Chapter Membership and dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole for making events such as this available for the benefit of our membership.  Over thirty members of the NENASF and metal finishing community were in attendance and benefited from this program.

NENASF Partners with HRP Associates

Date: March 9, 2024
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, Regulation

                                                        NENASF LOGO

HRP Logo

The NENASF is pleased to announce that we have partnered with HRP Associates.  HRP has for years organized and run our Annual HAZMAT, RCRA, and DOT TRAINING seminars and will once again be doing so on May 15th, 2024!  

Please visit their sight to see what they have to offer!

HRP Associates

EXAMPLES OF TRAININGS OFFERED

RCRA Hazardous Waste ManagementDOT Hazardous Materials Transportation / IATA (Air) / IMDG (Vessel)

EHS Management Systems / ISO 14001:2015 / OHSAS 18001:2007

OSHA Health and Safety

8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher

Asbestos AwarenessProcess Safety Management

Brownfields Opportunities / Environmental Due Diligence

Environmental Compliance Overview

Spill (SPCC) and Stormwater (SWPPP)

Company specific EHS Training

UST A/B Operator Training

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER HOSTS ANNUAL VIRTUAL FALL SEMINAR

Date: October 4, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, NASF National, Regulation

NENASF LOGO

The New England Chapter of NASF hosted a virtual seminar for the benefit of their membership and the entire non-NENASF metal finishing community. The event was held on Wednesday September 13, 2023.  The event was presented free of charge to NENASF members, and at a modest fee for other interested parties, as an educational and bonding opportunity for the metal finishing community.

 

The Webinar was conducted by means of Zoom format and attracted about forty attendees. It was made up of three segments featuring three presenters over a two-hour period from 10:00am to 12:00 pm offering a user-friendly format for all attendees. In addition to offering vital regulatory and technical information the event also made available two Continuing Education Wastewater Treatment Operator Contact Hours needed for WWT Operator License renewal.

 

Ethan Ware of Williams Mullen Law Group opened the Webinar with a presentation on the upcoming EPA PSFAS Survey that will be sent out to nearly 2000 metal finishers this fall. He stressed that the demographics would not only include chrome platers but chromate conversion coaters as well. This is a very detailed Survey and asks many complex questions through eight sections over seventy-one pages. He covered the answering/data requirements both from a technical as well as a legal perspective. He very much stressed that the information gathered in this Survey will shape the future of Wastewater Discharge Permits for years to come.

This was followed by a presentation by Jeremy Riley of Omega Research giving a detailed description of how proper finishing specification required test sample preparation can make a difference in acceptable test results, while poorly prepared samples can fail causing ripple effects with customer job acceptance.

The webinar was concluded with a presentation by Tony Oriti on Zinc-Nickel and Zinc-Tin as an alternative to Cadmium Plating. Tony not only presented the latest technological advances in these two finishes as they try to replace a long-time exceptional performing and defense and aerospace specified finish, cadmium, but also gave the attendees a look at emerging technology in the form a triple alloy finish that is in the developmental stages.

 

Once again we want to give special thanks to Chris Capalbo for moderating, and to Dev Massimi and Ralph Capalbo as Program Speaker Facilitators for their contributions, and to the combined efforts of NASF Board Members, Committee Members, Chapter Membership and dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole for making events such as this available for the benefit of our membership.

Government and Industry Affairs Update – Available in our NENASF Member Login

Date: April 7, 2023
Category: Member News, NASF National, Regulation

NASF Logo

Invest and participate in the NASF Government Affairs program.

 This highly effective public policy effort directly impacts decisions affecting finishing; it also produces direct savings to your company as a result of its education outreach at the state and national levels, and internationally.

Your membership generates a solid return on investment and supports essential programs to advance surface technology, nationally and worldwide.

The leaders in our industry understand the advantage of aligning themselves with NASF, which connects them to the people and information needed to leverage their resources to greatest advantage.

MCTA UPDATE

Date: January 24, 2023
Category: Chapter News, Member News, Regulation

 Legislation Proposes Bans on Most PFAS-Containing Products
Language Also Requires Testing for Presence of Unintentionally Added PFAS
Amends Groundwater & Surface Water Discharge Permits
Allows for Temporary Exemptions for “Unavoidable Use.”
Comprehensive legislation has been filed in the Massachusetts House and Senate addressing the sale, use, and cleanup of PFAS and PFAS-containing products in the Commonwealth.

The legislation, the result of several year’s worth of work by the PFAS Interagency Task Force, defines PFAS as any product that “contains at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom.”

The legislation is defined by its docket number, and has not yet been assigned a bill number.

MCTA has not yet completed a thorough review of the legislation, but a few quick highlights:

  • HD 3324 states : No manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer shall offer for sale, sell, or distribute in the commonwealth any products to which PFAS has been intentionally added. The term “product” as defined in the legislation includes children’s’ products, consumer products, cookware, fabric treatments, personal care products, product components, or products labels. The Legislation also bans any “avoidable” use, but creates an exemption for unavoidable uses. That exemption must be granted by MassDEP and will be granted only in three year intervals;
  • HD 3324 states “No manufacturer shall sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for use in the Commonwealth food packaging to which PFAS has been added for any purpose;”
  • The legislation calls for MassDEP to amend its groundwater discharge permits with requirements for quarterly monitoring and reporting of PFAS;
  • The legislation calls for MassDEP to amend both the surface and groundwater discharge permits to industrial permittees with requirements to implement best management practices for discharges of PFAS, including, but not limited to (i) product elimination or substitution when a reasonable alternative to PFAS is available in the industrial process; (ii) accidental discharge minimization; and (iii) equipment decontamination where PFAS-containing products have historically been used.
  • The bill establishes a PFAS Remediation Trust Fund which would be populated by the commonwealth’s claims arising from the manufacture, marketing and sale of PFAS-containing aqueous film-forming form and other sources.

This above is an abbreviated synopsis of key parts of the proposed legislation. This is also the first step in the legislative process. Environmental advocates will push for a more comprehensive bill and immediate action. Industry must be prepared to present its own position on the bill and how it impacts industry in Massachusetts. HD3324 is just the first step.

During the upcoming week, I will be bring members up to speed and provide a more thorough evaluation of the impact of this package.

Please contact Katherine Robertson at katherine@masscta.org or by phone at 508-572-9113 if you want to weigh in or if you have any questions.

New England Chapter – NASF Spring Seminar Recap

Date: May 7, 2022
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters, Regulation

                                                                                                                                                 

NENASF ANNUAL RCRA TRAINING AND WASTEWATER SEMINAR 2022

The New England Chapter once again was able to offer an in-person seminar for the benefit of its membership and the entire metal finishing community. Although the Chapter is still offering some virtual educational events, the Board felt strongly that there is a substantial benefit to having in-person events where the attendees can have the opportunity to network with fellow metal finishing professionals.

The event, held May 4, 2022 at the Courtyard Marriott in Marlborough, Massachusetts, was a four-hour Seminar covering mandatory annual RCRA training along with updates on hot button wastewater treatment issues, and was preceded by a luncheon.

Alisa Werst, a Senior Project Scientist at HRP Associates in Cromwell, Connecticut, was the instructor for the mandatory RCRA training portion of the Seminar. She gave a fast paced compelling and interactive presentation that was designed to provide both entry level and experienced environmental managers with a comprehensive review of state and federal hazardous waste regulations, all designed to meet the annual RCRA training requirements.

Brian Morrill, Associate Principal and Vice President at GZA GeoEnvironmental, offered a presentation on how to prepare for an environmental inspection with emphasis on how the actual inspections have been modified as a result of the COVID world in which we are living. This was followed by a presentation by Jim Occhialini, Vice President and Specialty Services Group leader at Alpha Analytical, who spoke on the rapidly evolving PFAS testing requirements the metal finishing community is being subjected to by municipalities and sewer authorities.

This seminar, and other beneficial educational events offered by the New England Chapter, are all part of this chapter’s commitment to the metal finishing community. Thank you for the combined efforts of the NENASF Board members, the Chapter Membership and the dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole who have offered their time and talents  to making events like this possible.

 

 

 

 

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER HOSTS SPRING SEMINAR

Date: March 26, 2022
Category: Chapter News, Events, Member News, NASF Chapters

 

 

NENASF Logo

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER HOSTS VIRTUAL SEMINAR

 

 

The New England Chapter of NASF hosted a virtual seminar for the benefit of their membership as well as the entire non-NENASF metal finishing community. The event was held on Thursday March 17, 2022.  The Executive Board opted to offer this event free of charge to all NENASF members, and at a modest fee to the rest of the metal finishing community, in hopes that it would not only educate but, to whatever extent possible, bond those associated with the metal finishing community.

 

The event was a two-hour Continuing Education Conference offering continuing education contact hours towards Wastewater license renewal. It was conducted by means of Zoom format and attracted about thirty attendees. It consisted of three presentations over the two-hour duration from 10:00 to noon offering a user-friendly format for all attendees.

 

Matt Kreiner of Hitachi XRF opened the Webinar with a presentation on the variety of uses and applications self-adjusting XRF units can have in saving time and money in daily coating thickness applications. He also addressed how XRF can be used to optimize solution maintenance and measure impurities in waste water discharge. This was followed by a presentation by Enrique Valentin of American Plating Power on the variety of rectifier options available to the metal finishing community, and how the correct choice can not only save money by lessening rejects, but also help reduce processing water used to reprocess defective parts.

The webinar was concluded with a presentation by Rob Sheldon of Aquas Group who spoke on the various options available through membrane technology as a substantial tool to be used in environmental regulation compliance. He also showed how this technology can be used as a path to rinse water recycling.

 

Special thanks to Chris Capalbo for technical support and for acting as moderator, and to Dev Massimi as Event Chair in arranging for the event speakers.

 

Thanks to the combined efforts of NASF Board Members, Committee Members, Chapter Membership and dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole for making events such as this available for the benefit of our membership.

 

 

 

 

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER ANNUAL FALL SEMINAR 2021

Date: October 13, 2021
Category: Chapter News, Member News, NASF Chapters, Regulation

NENASF logo

 

NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER ANNUAL FALL SEMINAR 2021

 

The New England Chapter of NASF was grateful to once again be able to host an in-person Seminar for the benefit of its membership and the entire metal finishing community. The event was held on Wednesday October 6, 2021.  With the COVID pandemic having forced the adoption of a Virtual format for the past year and a half, the resumption of in-person meetings and the opportunity to not only learn but to network with fellow metal finishers was a welcome change and was enthusiastically received by all in attendance.

 

The event was once again a four-hour Continuing Education Conference offering continuing education contact hours towards Wastewater license renewal. This was especially significant being that 2021 is a WWT License renewal year for all licensed operators in Massachusetts.  The Seminar consisted of four presentations over a four-hour period from 1:00 to 5:00 preceded by a luncheon for all attendees and speakers.

 

Matt Wright from HRP Associates opened the Seminar with a presentation entitled PFAS What Businesses Need to know stressing the importance of due diligence in preparing for regulatory enforcement of this emerging environmental hot-button issue. He stressed that saying “there is no PFAS in our plant” won’t be enough and everyone should be ready to back up statements with facts. This was followed by a presentation from Jim Walsh of MacDermid-Enthone on another hot-button issue, Sustainability. Jim gave examples of how correct equipment choices can not only lead to a company’s financial success but also to its future environmental success. David Calnan of CCI Chemicals followed with a presentation on Wastewater Treatment Options for the metal finishing industry stressing alternative treatment techniques and water recycling. The seminar closing speaker was Katherine Robertson of the Massachusetts Chemistry & Technology Alliance (MCTA) who gave an eye-opening update on the year-long Ad Hoc Toxic Use Reduction Act (TURA) Committee Hearings on reform to this burdensome Massachusetts environmental regulation and what metal finishers will be facing if certain regulatory changes become effective.

 

We continue to live in a very different world and it is encouraging that once again we were able to assemble for an in-person conference and networking that this event offered. We must continue to offer, through the combined efforts of NASF Board Members, Committee Members, Chapter Membership and dedicated and talented members of the Metal Finishing Community as a whole, events such as this which can be offered for the benefit of our membership.

 

 

 

 

 

EPA Will Set New PFAS Discharge Limits for Surface Finishing

Date: September 11, 2021
Category: Member News, NASF National, Regulation

NASF Logo

EPA to Set New Federal Wastewater Discharge Standards

for PFAS in Surface Finishing Operations

 

September 9, 2021

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Preliminary Plan 15), announcing that it will commence a rulemaking process to set first-time ever wastewater discharges for PFAS from key industries.

 

The agency’s announcement was not unexpected, and its effort will focus on chromium plating and related processes in the surface finishing industry as well as certain chemical manufacturers and formulators of PFAS.

 

The announcement follows extensive discussions between NASF and senior EPA officials since the Trump administration released its PFAS Action Plan in 2019. The plan prioritized surface finishing and other industries for potential water regulation under the Clean Water Act’s effluent guidelines program.

 

Industries Impacted Under New PFAS Rulemaking Process

 

After concluding several studies that EPA launched in 2018, the agency has determined that revised effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) and pretreatment standards are warranted for:

 

Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF) — EPA listed this category to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discharges from facilities manufacturing PFAS (which includes chemical formulators in this source category). EPA identified six OCPSF facilities that currently manufacture PFAS in the US.

 

EPA also identified eight additional OCPSF facilities that use PFAS feedstocks to formulate other products. EPA has not developed a comprehensive list of all PFAS manufacturers and formulators in the U.S. and considers it probable that there are many more OCPSF facilities using PFAS that EPA has not yet identified.

 

Metal Finishing — The agency plans to revise the existing Metal Finishing Effluent Guidelines (40 CFR Part 433) to address PFAS discharges primarily from chromium electroplating facilities, based on the information collected through earlier studies.

 

NASF has been working closely with EPA officials on various aspects of PFAS use in the industry and will continue to do so through the next stages in the rulemaking development process. To inform the discussion with EPA and various state agencies, NASF has created a web-based PFAS Resource Center, which can be accessed here. Watch for new updates to the site soon.

 

The EPA Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 is available here.

 

Launching the Rulemaking Process, Collecting Industry Data

 

EPA will initiate a multi-year rulemaking process of collecting data on existing PFAS discharges levels, identifying available treatment technologies for PFAS discharges, and conduct a formal assessment of technical and economic feasibility for available treatment technologies to determine what pretreatment standards may be appropriate.

 

EPA’s action to advance a rulemaking for the metal finishing category could allow the agency to proceed without an accelerated legislative mandated schedule prescribed by Congress. The House has passed language in the recent infrastructure bill targeting metal finishing and several other sectors for urgent action on PFAS, but the Senate’s measure did not include these provisions.

 

EPA has not yet announced a timetable for the rulemaking process, and has invited NASF to provide information and further input on the rulemaking development process.

 

Further Review of Other Industries

 

As part of Preliminary Plan 15, EPA also announced that it would be conducting further research and studies regarding discharges of PFAS to determine if a rulemaking is warranted for the other industry categories, including:

 

·     landfills,

·     pulp, paper, and paperboard facilities,

·     textile and carpet manufacturers, and

·     commercial airports.

 

NASF Meetings Ahead with EPA

 

NASF will be meeting again shortly with EPA officials and will provide NASF members with updates on the rulemaking process.

 

If you have any questions regarding EPA’s action, please reach NASF by contacting Christian Richter at crichter@thepolicygroup.com or Jeff Hannapel at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com.

Meeting Reminder: Members Meeting & Strategy Session on Tuesday, 7/13

Date: July 12, 2021
Category: Chapter News, Member News, Regulation

MCTA

Strategy Session To Fight TURA Fee Hike at 2 PM

Members Meeting/Regulatory Update Follows at 3 PM

Consider this a reminder that MCTA has scheduled two meetings on Tuesday, July 13, 2021.

2 PM: A strategy session to coordinate opposition to the proposed fee increase for TURA filers;
3 PM: Quarterly Members Meeting.

Agenda for Members Meeting

Welcome, Adam Diamond, Astro Chemical, MCTA Chair

Program Update, Katherine Robertson. Executive Director

trategy Session Recap, Katherine Robertson. Executive Director

Regulatory Update, Jamie Dunbar & Chris Niles, O’Neill and Associates

MCTA Strategy Session/Members Meeting

Tue, Jul 13, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (EDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/961996493

You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3412

Access Code: 961-996-493

New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/961996493

 

 

 

 

 

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