TRENTON, N.J. — Representatives of the industry will join in New Jersey on Friday to comment on the state’s proposed phaseout of perchloroethylene use in drycleaning.
Leaders of the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI) and National Cleaners Association (NCA) will appear to comment, and encourage members to attend. A big turnout from drycleaners, the associations say, will help convince legislators to amend the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposal.
Under the proposal, operators would have until Jan. 1, 2010, to install fourth-generation, nonvented perc units to limit airborne emissions, or retrofit current equipment with vapor barriers. Perc plants “colocated” in residential buildings would be banned completely in 2009, and all perc use would be eliminated Jan. 1, 2021.
The public comment session will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the first-floor Public Hearing Room of the DEP’s offices, located at 401 E. State St., Trenton, NJ 08608. The hearing will continue until all comments have been heard.
Those testifying should limit oral comments to five minutes, NCA says, and focus testimony on the economic impact that the phaseout would have on their businesses. Regulators should also know about the progress operators have made toward being environmentally friendly.
The hearing is not a forum for subjective comment on the health risks that may or may not exist with perc or problems with alternatives, NCA adds. If there are regulatory requirements that could prevent you from adopting an alternative, focus on the financial hardship surrounding such a move.
You may also mention that an alternative may become the target of additional regulations in the future, the association says. Drycleaners who don’t want to speak are also encouraged to appear and show their support, and are invited to bring staff and family members.
The DEP offices are located two blocks from the Trenton train station, and NCA will provide a bus from Fort Lee, N.J., to the hearing on Friday morning for drycleaners who wish to avoid the drive. Call NCA at 212-967-3002 or e-mail [email protected] for details.
Written comments can be submitted to DEP through Feb. 15, 2008. Mail them to Alice Previte, N.J. DEP, Attn. DEP Docket No. 27-07-11/582, Office of Legal Affairs, P.O. Box 402, Trenton, NJ 08625. To read the public notice, click here. For the full text of the proposal, click here.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].