National Clothesline

The future of perc in both Philadelphia and Washington, DC, remains in doubt as officials in those two cities consider proposals to severely restrict or outright ban the drycleaning solvent.

In separate late January meetings, industry representatives met with officials in both cities to lay out the industry’s case.

In Washington, DC, the proposed Human and Environmental Health Protection Amendment Act would ban a number of chemicals in the District of Columbia, including perc.

Industry representatives gathered for a day-long hearing led by Mary Cheh, the city council member who chairs the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment. The bill, co-sponsored by Cheh, would ban the sale of perc drycleaning machines after January 2011; perc itself could no longer be sold after January, 2014.

The Jan. 20 hearing focused mainly on other chemicals cited in the bill, but industry representatives gave testimony that focused on advances in perc drycleaning equipment and the reduction in perc solvent use by the industry.

The industry representatives also explained the many regulations the industry already complies with and the economic hardship the proposal would place on cleaners, particularly in the current economic climate. The committee also received the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute’s “White Paper on Solvents” that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various cleaning technologies.

Among those representing the industry at the hearing were Mary Scalco of DLI; Charlie Smith, DLI District 2 Director; Richard Ehrenreich, MidAtlantic Cleaners Association executive director and Hak S. Park, president of the Korean-American Drycleaners Association.

On the same day in Philadelphia, a different group of industry representatives confronted an ad hoc committee of the city’s Air Pollution Control Board which continues to consider new regulations that could rule out the use of perc in co-commercial locations.

Among those at this meeting were Jon Meijer of DLI, Paul Dugard of the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, Carol Memberg of the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association, Nora Nealis of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association and Jason Kim, president of the Korean Cleaners Association of Philadelphia.

Two years ago, the board proposed outlawing the use of perc in all but free-standing drycleaning locations. Several meetings between the board and industry representatives since then have resulted in at least a delay in implementation of new rules as the industry challenged the data that the board has been using to support its proposal.

The industry hopes to convince the board to allow co-commercial perc plants to continue using perc in the city by making sure they incorporate ventilation practices that will keep perc exposure levels in co-commercial settings to levels of 40 parts per billion or lower.

The ad hoc committee will make a recommendation to the full board which would then review the information. One issue of concern to the board is how the city would conduct plant monitoring to assure the exposure levels are met.

The deadline is March 15 for exhibitors to take advantage of early-bird rates for exhibit booths at the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association Drycleaning & Laundry Expo.

The show will be held Sept. 25 and 26 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ.

An exhibitors’ prospectus can be downloaded from the PDCA web site, www.pdclean.org. Information is also available by calling the show manager, Leslie Schaeffer, (800) 822-7352.