CASF NEWS SURFACE FINISHING NEWS BY SRDJAN KNEZEVIC CASF COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE PROCESS ENGINEERING MANAGER, KUNTZ ELECTROPLATING Upcoming changes from ECCC to the regulations for chromium electroplating, chromium anodizing and reverse etching operations E nvironment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has earlier this fall released proposed amendments to regulations for chromium electroplating, chromium anodizing and reverse etching operations that affect more than 140 Canadian surface finishing facilities. The regulations, which came into force in 2009, require the control of air releases of hexavalent chromium compounds (HVC) from tanks used in the specified finishing applications. Amendments proposed this year aim to further reduce emissions of HVC compounds from regulated operations, harmonize requirements with other jurisdictions, and clarify regulatory requirements. There is a tightening of release limits and increase in frequency of testing and reporting that will require Canadian finishers to review their own operations and at the very least likely increase analysis frequency and controls of their HVC-containing tanks. A strong likelihood remains that there are finishing operations that will require emissions control equipment improvements and allocated funds for additional release tests. ECCC reached out to CASF earlier in October about discussing the proposed amendments and their potential impacts on finishers across Canada and the upcoming CASF conference was to serve as a venue for their presentation and for any questions. The timing was tight and something that CASF therefore couldn't promote from the onset of planning for the conference but did create space to include the ECCC. The disappointment in having to cancel the conference was that much greater given that participation of the ECCC and dialogue with members was exactly what the conference was designed for. Whether it was the current year's difficulties in business planning given the cost of doing business in today's interest rate scenarios, or difficulties in scheduling team members to attend an industry conference given that many companies are having employees carry more of the wider workload to compensate for difficulties in the economic 14 www.cfcm.ca The ECCC is familiar with chromium being widely used in the metal finishing industry for its performance and durability with respect to corrosion resistance and hardness, and taking a case by case approach needs to be considered.http://www.cfcm.ca