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# 35775 9 Europea n Pane l Federatio n Europaische rHolzwerkstoffverban d Federatio n Europeenn e de s Panneau xa Bas e d e Boi s OPP TDocumen t Contro l Offic e (DCO ) Environmenta l Protectio n Agency EP AEas t Buildin g Roo m 642 8 120 0 Pennsylvani a Ave . N.W . Washington , D C 20460-0001 . § § Brussels , 9 t h Octof e 20Eg ^

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## c n Dea rSir , Madam , Th e Europea n wood-base d panel s industrie s principall ywelcom e th e intentio n o fth e U S EPAt o establishe d a harmonise d US-wid e regulatio n o n th e ..formaldehyde , emissio n o fcomposit e woo d product s t o b e aligne d whereve rpossibl e wit h th e existin g provision s o fth e CAR B regulation s i n California . However , w e ar e worrie d abou t th e fac t that , the . statut e provide s the.-U S EP Adiscretio n in"som e area s t o varyfro m th e Californi a modeLancfea.numbe rof'EPA' s prpposal s ar e markedl ydifferent . W e as k a s a matte ro fpolic yan d o fminimisatio n o fregulator yburde n that-distinction s between;.th e stat e an d federa l requirement s b e mad e onl yr n th e mos t compellin g circurosftar^s j Coordinatio n o fth e federa l an d stat e regulation s i s extremel yimportan t t o avoid'confusio n i\ - ystreamlin e compliance. ' An ysubstantia l differenc e betwee n th e US<-wide- regulation s an d th e CARB . [Ct's e willxreat e confusio n an d duplicat e costs . Thi s i s especiall yimportan t .fo rth e TPQpule , sinc e EPA's ^ v^&s& d 'administratio n o fth e .TPC s is , fundamentall ydifferentifrom^the-C^AR B system . W e ^reque - • wha t thes e are , co ordinate d an d streamlined:as.,muchias..possibl.e i an d 'mayb p it.coul d b e envisage s ^o.merg e the.GAR B regulation s an d procedures.intotthe-U$;<EP Arules . From'^a^starting^point , al l Q-^RB^pprove d TPC s shoul d b e accepte d b yth e U S EP Afro m th e beginnin g an d a t leas t unti l thei rcu t ,-en t CAR B approva l i s u p fo rreview . Th e overlookin g o fth e TPC s b yI LA C an d !A F look s t o b e a : pragmati cwa yi n or e rt o avoi d havin g t o se t up . a larg e and . costl yadministratio n proces s withi n U S EPA . Moyvever , care .houl d b e take n tha t thes e AB' s d o no t inflat e the , cost s o fthe . TP C certificatio n cost s fo rth e m rf acturers . Thi s i s o f particula rimportanc e fo rEuropea n manufacturers , sinc e TPC s i n Europ e tr < .dependen t an d ver y expensiv e institutes . Unlik e Nort h America n industr yassociations , EP F doe s £ operat e it s ow n TP C fo ra variet yo freason s i n particula rals o th e credibilit ytoward s th e auth ras . O n th e othe rhand , th e rule s fo rrecognisin g additiona l AB' s are-unclear ; Car e shoul d b e t i i t thes e have a n a s hig h objectiv e credibilit yo fth e currentl ymentione d ones . Additionally , w e t o th e requiremen t fo r TPC s t o have , a n offic e o ra n agen t i n th e US . Sinc e most . Europea n TPC s d o no t certif yNort h America n mills , thi s woul d onl yad d unnecessar ycosts . Europea n TPC s ar e generall yrelativel ybi g an d highl ycredibl e institutes . Moreover , i n cas e o fan ycontac t problems , the yca n easil yb e trace d vi a thei roverlookin g AB . FP F —RII P Mnntnva r7 4 hn v7 0 - R-lOflf l Rmcco kp . 2

Furthermore , w e urg e EPAt o adop t performance-base d formaldehyd e emissio n requirement s fo r composit e pane l products , withou t bias toward s an yresi n o rmanufacturin g technolog yemploye d t o mee t thos e requirements . Usin g performance-base d requirement s foster s advancemen t i n al l technologie s an d provide s th e wides t arra yo foption s fo rpane l manufacturer s a s wel l a s th e downstrea m chai n o fcommerce , whil e a t th e sam e tim e ensurin g tha t al l product s mee t th e specifie d emissio n levels . Thi s principl e i s particularl yapplicabl e t o ultra-lo wemittin g formaldehyd e ("ULEF" ) resins . EPA suggeste d i n th e Preambl e tha t reduce d testin g fo rULE F panel s migh t b e inappropriate . W e believ e tha t suc h product s shoul d b e treate d a s the yar e unde rth e CAR B rule . Althoug h EPAha s discretio n t o develo p separat e regulation s o n ULE F resin , th e statute , b ydirectl yincorporatin g th e Californi a level s fo rreduce d testing , contemplate d th e reduce d testin g optio n fo rULEF . Th e overal l Congressiona l inten t wa s clearl yt o trea t ULE F resin s similarl yt o th e CAR B approach . Ther e ar e stron g polic yan d practica l reason s t o d o so . EPAjustifie s it s disparat e treatmen t o fULEF , i n part , o n th e basi s o fa researc h stud yo fULE F products ' emission s unde relevate d hea t an d humidity . Thi s i s inappropriat e a s th e reference d stud yi s coverin g onl ya ver ylimite d produc t rang e an d th e measurement s ar e don e wit h a particula rmetho d (E N 717- 3 Flas k

method ) that , althoug h officiall ystandardise d i n Europe , ha s ver ylimite d us e (especiall yi n dail yfactor yproductio n contro l testing ) especiall ydu e t o th e relativel ylarg e variabilit y o n th e result s a

s a consequenc e o fth e method' s emissio n deca ysensitivity . Furthermore , th e study' s scientifi cfinding s "ar e neithe rne wno rver yimpressive " accordin g t o analysi s b yProf . Dr . R. Marutzky , forme rmanagin g directo ro fth e famou s Wilhelm-r^lauditz-lnstitut e fo rWoo d Researc h (WKI) . I t i s genera l knowledg e tha t "formaldehyd e i s liberate d fro m formaldehyde-base d resin s b ya hydrolyti creactio n (revers e o fth e polycondensation ) an d suc h a reactio n i s accelerate d b y temperatur e an d moisture . Tha t th e formaldehyd e releas e a no n formaldehyd e base d resi n i s no t affecte d b ytemperatur e an d moistur e i s a trivia l findin g an d als o no t ver yimpressive" . "Th e fact s abou t th e influenc e o ftemperatur e an d humidit yo n emission s o fUF-bonde d panel s - independen t o fth e typ e o fpane l - ar e wel l know n sinc e mor e tha n 3 0 years , topi co fa lo t o f publication s an d i n lin e wit h emissio n model s suc h a s th e ANDERSEN- , th e HOETJER - o rth e WKI equation. " Accordin g t o Prof . Marutzky , "th e impac t o fsuc h a behaviou rha s t o b e reflecte d i n connectio n wit h th e ventilatio n rate . I n region s wit h humi d an d war m climate , a s propose d i n th e FRIPOSE D study , th e ventilatio n rat e o froom s i s usuall ymuc h highe rtha n i n i n region s wit h a moderat e o rcold climate , throug h us e o fmechanica l climat e conditio n facilitie s o ropenin g o f windows . Yo u ca n se e thi s fac t clearl yi n Europe , wher e th e contaminatio n o findoo rai rb y formaldehyd e o rothe rWOC s an d VOC s i s definitel ya proble m o fNort h an d Centra l Europ e countrie s bu t no t o fth e region s i n th e Mediterranea n area . Anothe rpositiv e impac t o fa humi d climat e has b e show n i n a Europea n researc h projec t abou t 2 0 year s ago . Unde rhumi d climat e conditions , U F bonde d particleboard s showe d a muc h faste rdecreas e o fformaldehyd e o n a lon g ter m tha t unde rdr yclimat e condition s ("accelerate d ageing") . Asimila rbehaviou ri s obviou s fo rothe r woo d base d pane l types). " Moreover , w e strongl yoppos e t o th e extremel ystric t requiremen t tha t plant s canno t shi p panel s unti l al l formaldehyd e qualit ycontro l test s ar e finished . Thi s woul d creat e tremendou s obligation s fo radditiona l stockin g o fpanel s fo rprolonge d period s o ftime . I n practice , al l Europea n pane l producer s us e derive d factoryproductio n contro l method s tha t provid e sufficien t informatio n tha t panel s wil l achieve th e relevan t limi t value s i n th e qualit ycontro l testin g wit h a safetymargin . I t i s th e obligatio n o fth e manufacture rt o ensur e a sufficien t safetymargi n an d t o recal l an yshippe d panel s i n case ultimatel yth e r.— i * i A . i . u r_: ip . 3

Las t bu t no t least , w e conside ri t inappropriat e an d unpractica l t o oblig e manufacturers t o disclos e tes t result s o n thei rwebsit e o ri n an yothe rpubli cway . I t i s als o inappropriat e t o disclos e busines s confidentia l dat a fro m e.g . product/resi n formulation s o n publi cwebsites . W e kindl ythan k

U S EP Aexpert s t o tak e ou rconcern s int o consideratio n an d t o adap t th e propose d regulation s accordingly . W e remai n at you rdisposa l fo rexplainin g ou rconcern s i n mor e detail . Please d o no t hesitat e t o contact u s i fyo u nee d an yfurthe rclarification .

Secretar yGenera l EPF/2013-225-K

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