NATIONAL NEWS
EPA Launches 6H Navigation Tool The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made it easier for collision repair facilities to determine if they qualify for an exemption from what is commonly referred to as the “6H Rule,” a national emission standard for air pollutants that establishes compliance guidelines for automotive paint products and procedures. Thanks to a new online Regulation Navigation Tool (bit.ly/EPA6Hexemption), auto body shops can quickly and easily find out if their in-house practices remove them from the “6H Rule” requirement by simply answering up to three questions. The first question asks if the facility sprays any coatings that contain cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese or nickel. If the end-user answers no, they are directed to a page advising them on how to file for a 6H Rule exemption. If they answer yes, they are asked if they can switch to alternative coatings that don’t contain any of the aforementioned hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). If they answer yes, they are sent to the exemption page; if they answer no, they are asked if their remaining coatings
26 | New Jersey Automotive | April 2021
contain less than one percent manganese and trivalent chromium and less than 0.1 percent cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead and nickel as sprayed (not as supplied). If they still answer no, they are advised that they can’t petition for an exemption and are provided with a link to find their area Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP) for assistance. The Regulation Navigation Tool is part of the EPA’s Collision Repair Campaign to Reduce Air Toxins, a project created to assist body shops in reducing their exposure to toxic air pollutant emissions. More information is available at epa.gov/collision-repair-campaign. Detailed information on the “6H Rule” is available at bit.ly/6Hrule. Important note: Although the Regulation Navigation Tool may determine a shop’s exemption from the coating portion of the “6H Rule,” any use of methylene chloride stripper will subject that facility to other parts of the regulation.
NJA
