Document 3QLd8eVy4L69w8Mm6RGNee40J

Law Orrices Keller and Heckman 1001 O Strict, S.W. Suite 300 West WaSHINOTON'. D.C. 20001 Telephone (202) 434-4100 Telex 40 03931 "KELMAN" Telecopier (202) 434-4040 Hovlivahii Louis Schmidt 67 U*l04O nnumt.1 Tcliphoni 39(8) 732 52 60 TKi.ficoPt AM 32(2) 732 53 03 VO(CM c. AClltA wCAOt . hCChmam MALCOLM O. *A*Tua WAVMfV ALACM Yt*twCD jOMU maATih w SCACOViCl S CLCACD WlLL*AM C. AOVAfi* CaAOUC C- A*< MTMOMO a. AOWAUSAI* miCmacW' MOMONC maAA r* CVCNA e. BiCHAAOS jcaw *Ave*T*T a. eueccK PCTt* L. kA C*Ut CMAisn>< m. oiwl A OAOZtM $K'ky *. ru^MOTO LAWACwee A. MAtABlH October 4, 1993 AaIMM A. SJHMONS CTCA A. IUIUN c oowetA* jaabctt IMIII.A A. M'LLAA FATA) CM J. MW AO ocoaoc 9. muko OAACH C. OODOC Sawi i. mcaoca caaio tawtfcst maAKA StCVCAS MiCMAtL A. aCNMCT ThOKaS A MQWMTCC" AVI 9. SAAVAOI* CatmcAimC A. mi Cl A CM KAlS AMMC MOMTCITM cluot aculoa HAM L. IT2rr YCaM-FHLIFC MONTrOAT*t WWATIM m MBCAATMT UCfTACV A. LAM AACMUt L. MAMAlA, <A **ot aomittco >n e. TACAiOCMT aawaacla AAIAM T. 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TCLCCO**gmCATlONS C*C.kCCA CmaAuCSr TUAMCA waitcA's iacct o<al HjMita (202) 434-4141 VIA FACSIMILE Ms. Meredith Scheck The Vinyl Institute Wayne Interchange P. za II 155 Route 46 West Wayne, New Jersey 07470 Re: CertainTeed EPCRA Matter Dear Meredith: This letter follows our discussion on October l concerning an update for the Vinyl Institute's Health Safety and Environment Committee on matters involving the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), particularly Sections 311 and 312. This topic has been a subject of discussion at prior Committee meetings. Earlier this year, we received a copy of a July 30, 1992, letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Wolverine Technologies, a CertainTeed subsidiary (copy enclosed). The letter reflects the inspector's view that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin should be considered hazardous material requiring a materials safety data sheet (MSDS) because it creates hazardous emissions when processed. Therefore, PVC resin would be subject to state and local notification requirements under EPCRA Sections 311 and 312. Since we received the EPA letter over a year after it was written, we initially determined the current status of this matter. CertainTeed has been negotiating with EPA. Initially, Geon supplied a letter indicating that it did not view the PVC resin as hazardous and did not read its material safety data sheet as supporting that conclusion. Apparently, EPA then contacted OSHA and unearthed a 1986 letter stating that PVC resin must be labeled under the OSHA vinyl chloride standard as a carcinogen. CTL015342 Ms. Meredith Scheck October 4, 1993 Page 2 Keller and Heckman Over the Labor Day weekend, the person handling this matter for CertainTeed died unexpectedly. CertainTeed then asked Bruce Campbell and Doug McLeod of Blackwell and Sanders, a Kansas City law firm, to handle this matter. I spoke with these attorneys and reviewed the Vinyl Institute's efforts to educate OSHA on this matter. We provided background information concerning OSHA letters in the 1970s indicating that PVC resin need not be labeled. We also discussed OSHA's changing interpretation and the Vi's efforts in the late 1980s to reverse this OSHA interpretation. As you may recall, Occidental's Addis Louisiana facility received a citation for failure to label PVC resin. The Vinyl Institute, acting through Occidental, contested OSHA position. However, OSHA withdrew its citation rather than litigate the matter. Thus, we are left with some troublesome OSHA letters and an Agency that has been unresponsive to our request to change that position. CertainTeed has now suggested that the Vinyl Institute become involved in this EPA administrative proceedings. Certainly the Vi's particpation would signal that this is a broader issue of interest to the industry as opposed to an isolated company question. My initial reaction is that it may be beneficial, assuming the Institute is agreeable on a policy basis, to prepare a short submission supporting the view that low r sidual monomer resin is not hazardous and does not trigger EPCRA reporting requirements. As you are aware, Keller and Heckman is also counsel for th Vinyl Chloride Panel of the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA). CMA is in the process of scheduling a meeting with Ruth McCully, the Director of the Office of Health Compliance Assistance within OSHA's Directorate of Compliance Programs. While CMA is interested in an interpretation of language addressing entry into an area of unknown vinyl chloride concentration, if you have no objections, I would also like to raise the PVC labeling issue in a generic way to determine if we might make some head-way with Ms. McCully's office. If you have any questions, please feel free to call. I should be in my office most of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Enclosures CTL015343 JTJL-07--'93 14:58 ID:THE UINYL INSTITUTE TEL NO:201 SS0-7029 ~'JU. 07 v93 15: ~CERffift<ftD CCRP H.RGEKSTOJN rttL" < tx&ia pas p.a" JUL 10 !9tf UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AQSNCY REQlON VII 728 MINNESOTA AVENUE KANSAS CITY, KANSAS SS101 CSKTZTZEO HAIL RSTURN MCIIPT RXQUISTtD Mr. John s. oleaon ?lant Manager Wolverine Technologies industrial Avanua -- ffrinnell, Iova 80112-0615 Daar Kr. Olaaont SPCRA Docket Ho. VXZ-82-T-8788 Thlo 1attar is a follow up to tho Juno 24, lssa, inspecti n, o ndueted purauant to tho laergency Planning and Community Right- To-Xnov Aot (X?cra), 42 tf.S.C. ftixoi, at seq. Tho purpoao of th inapaotien was to aaaooa tho sempeny's effort* to ooaply vlth EPCRA and rogulatlono proaulgated thereto. * Tho lnspeotien rovoalod that your ooapany haa oooporatod With tho Iowa Caergsnoy Response Commission (isrc), tho Local Emergency Planning Comlttoo (L1PC), and tho local flro department, In your afforto to ooaply vlth XfCRA If211 and sia. However ao tho SPA rapraaontatlvo dloeuoood vlth you during tho inspection, It appoara that your company might bo required to lneluda chemical product "Goon Resin 27" polyvinyl ohlor: > on tho Tiar ZZ fens which you submit to tho ZIRC and zpc. .............a Under epcra I fill and 312, if a facility ia required to prepare or have a notarial safety data ahaat (MIPS) purauant t OfKA, than that facility auat submit an icons for xpcra fan, and a Tier ZZ inventory fora for XPCRA Ilia, to tho authorities referenoed above. The threahold amounts for which ouoh reporting suet oocur are 10,000 pounds of haiardeua chamioele, and soo pound# of extremely haaardouo aubstanoom or tho throohold planning quantity, whichever ia lever. Collected during tho impaction vara KSDfl and processing inf nation ooncerning polyvinyl ohlorido at your facility. Tho XSDS contain* information to tho offaot that tho products oan salt hasardoue fumes and vapora vhan processed at elevated tea* p raturaa. If your ooapany processes polyvinyl ohlorid* in ouoh a Banner as to create hasardoue emissions, then you would bo required to maintain HSDSe pursuant to osha, thsreby requiring that you notify state and looal offloiale in accordance with SFC8A mil and 912. CTL015344 KCTCU ---- JU--07-'93 14:59 ID:THE UINYL INSTITUTE TEL NO:201 890-7029 JUL af v33 15:23 TXRYflfNTEED 'CORP HfiGO^KJ^nblT 849 P04 -2- Within thirty (30) day* of your rseolpt of thio lettor, pleas* undertalcs the following actions end supply this offio* ' with tho following documentation! 1} if you dissgrss with tho assessment of your responsibility to propers or maintain in XJDS for tho polysoro roforsnood sbovs pursuant to OSKA, request from osHA s determination vhsthsr your company is required to propars or maintain an XBDS pursuant to tha Kasard Cosmuniettien standard! 40 c.r.JU 11910.1200, for tha forma of polymsrs which your company storas and processes; and 2) if your company is required to prepare or maintain an XSDS for the*polymers, provide IKM HUl and -312-nofeidioai-... tiona and forms to tha >BJIC, LS9C and leoal fira dapartmant in accordance with tha regulation at 40 c.r.m. 1170.20(b). provida oopiaa to ma at-tha abova addrssa. Otharwisa provido a copy of OSHA'a written datanination that you era n t required to prepare or maintain an KIDS for tha polymara. Plaasa be avara that thia latter does not limit SPA from taking further action on thio matter. Any such action depends up n your timely and complete response to this matter. Zf you. have any question concerning thia letter or your responsibilities under spcra, contact me at (13) ssi7020 Sincerelyi' 0ty / Ooucr f* Ildars Environmental Engineer toxic Substances Control Section CTL015345