Document EMZykNDyEnz7y1617JNQDpjL

LEGISLATIVE REPORT 1. NORTH CAROLINA: The only PVC specific legislation on which there was any action since the last report to the Board was SB 52 in North Carolina. At a June 17 hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Sen. Odom (D) announced that he did not intend to bring SB 52 (or similar legislation) before the committee for a vote during 1993 or 1994. SB 52 would have banned the use of PVC containers of as Jan. 1, 1994. Nevertheless, he presented an amendment to the bill clarifying that the bill excludes durables. Reportedly, Mercedes Benz was concerned that the bill has drafted would have affected PVC containers in automobile applications. 2. CONEG: At the early June meeting of the Source Reduction Task Force of the Council of Northeast Governors (CONEG) there was dialogue concerning the development of a proposal to ban the use of lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium in products. As you will recall, it was a similar initiative regarding the use of these four heavy metals in the packaging market that led to the development of a model bill by CONEG that has since been enacted (with slight variations) in 16 states. The Northeast Government Affairs Manager of the American Plastics Council, Steve Rosario, has been serving as a participant in the Source Reduction Task Force activity, although he does not have official membership status. There are a specified number of industry seats available, with only companies eligible for full participation. The APC sought the assistance of SPI's Occupational Health and Environmental Issues Committee is developing appropriate technical materials to present to the SRTF. The SPI group met on June 29 to review technical issues. A white paper that will be a "heavy metals inventory" is now being prepared by SPI staff with input from the members of this SPI committee and others (such as the VI) . This inventory will summarize where these materials are being used in the plastics industry, and will include for example a current description of lead stabilizers in the PVC wire and cable market. Following substantial discussions regarding appropriate policy to pursue, the American Plastics Council Government Affairs staff has scheduled a September 9 meeting. CONEG staff has been invited to the morning segment, with an industry meeting to follow. The industry will review the issue and consider as a group appropriate action items. The Source Reduction Task Force is next scheduled to meet in Albany in mid-September. Regardless of policy decisions reached, the industry inventory project will be completed. Policy decisions and any political activity pursued relative to the Source Reduction Task Force activities are important to the vinyl industry as CONEG staff has indicated an interest in examining PVC products when they have completed the heavy metals focused activity. cTL008067