Formaldehyde Voluntary Consensus Standards Final Rule

Washington, D.C. – EPA is publishing a final rule 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. Read a prepublication copy of the voluntary consensus standards final rule here.

The final rule 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standards (i.e., technical specifications for products or processes developed by standard-setting bodies) were updated, withdrawn, and/or superseded through the normal course of business by these bodies to take into account new information, technology, and methodologies.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 final rule amends 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. 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 more commonly used ASTM D6007-14 test method. The final rule also clarifies that test data generated beginning December 12, 2016 may be used to establish the required annual equivalence and correlation until new annual equivalence and correlations are required. Beginning on the publication date of the final rule, new data used to establish annual equivalence and correlations must be generated using the updated test methods and standards referenced in this final rule.

EPA withdrew the earlier direct final rule issued on October 25, 2017 because the Agency received an adverse comment on the rulemaking. Today’s final rule considered all of the comments received during the proposed rule’s comment period.  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 here.

Featured

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • ClassVR headsets

    Avantis Education Revamps Hardware for ClassVR Solution

    Avantis Education recently announced the launch of two new headsets for its flagship educational VR/AR solution, ClassVR. According to a news release, the Xcelerate and Xplorer headsets expand the company’s offerings into higher education while continuing to meet the evolving needs of K–12 users.

  • UC Riverside Completes $285M, Multi-School Student Housing Development

    The University of California, Riverside, recently announced the completion of a $285-million student housing complex offering 1,568 beds across 429 units, according to a news release.

  • Epson Receives Seven AV Industry Awards

    Projectors manufacturer Epson recently announced that it received multiple awards across the Higher Ed AV Awards, SCN Stellar Service Awards, and InfoComm 2025, according to a news release. The company was recognized for three projectors from its PowerLite L-Series line, accessories, installation process, and its customer support team.