Update on New EPA Regulations.
The Environment Protection (Scheduled Premises and Exemptions) Regulations 1996 identified Victorian industries requiring approval to expand or a license to operate. The industries 'scheduled' under the regulations were those deemed to have potential for significant environmental impact. The 1996 regulations were due for review in 2007 and an extensive Regulatory Impact Statement was created (see here) This is a brief overview of the new regulations brought out on 1 July 2007. It also provides an overview of the impacts of the changes for the heat-set, flexographic and gravure printing industries.
During 2007, heat-set, flexographic and gravure industry representatives and consultants have made submissions to EPA Victoria about specific aspects of the existing regulations. Meetings were held with EPA in which concerns were addressed and taken on board by EPA.
The following changes were achieved in the revised regulations:
1. A simplified definition of the printing industry which now provides a consistent approach to heat-set offset, flexographic and gravure printing.
2. Printing companies emitting less than 100kg per day of VOC (on all days of the year) are now consistently exempted from licensing and works approval. Under the previous regulations, a company using more than 100kg of VOC per day was still liable to approval and licensing even if their emissions were less than 100kg per day.
3. Heat-set printing companies - who have used interlocked thermal oxidation technology since the 1980s to fully treat all air emissions - now no longer require works approval or licensing.
4. Flexographic and gravure printing companies emitting more than 100kg of VOC per day still require works approval and licensing. However, if these companies fully control their VOC emissions, interlocked in the same way as the heat set printing industry, they too will not require works approval or licensing.
Besides being a triumph for commonsense, consistency and reduction in unnecessary red tape, it is fair to say that the industry's comments have made EPA more aware of the difficulties faced by printing companies. In its publications related to the revision of the regulations, EPA Victoria has commended Victoria's printing industry for the improvements it has made in environmental performance over the years. The changes achieved are an acknowledgement of this.
Please contact Mike Lyons and Peter Eriksen from Mike Lyons & Associates on (03)9574 9631 if you would like to discuss future activities that can build on the work done so far. We would like to thank people from Victorian printing companies who contributed ideas and feedback to EPA Victoria submissions.