Unless you've spent the last year or
so living in a cave, odds are good that you've heard of the EPA's proposed Metal
Products & Machinery Rule. In a nutshell, MP&M proposes to dramatically
limit pollutants from job shop waste streams. Opponents to the rule disagree with
much of the EPA's data and argue that the proposal is not viable from a financial
or technological standpoint. If approved "as is," the rule would have
an enormous impact on the metal finishing industry in the U.S., putting between
10% and 40% (depending on who you ask) of the nation's finishing shops out of
business.
Not
surprisingly, MP&M has been a rather large topic of conversation on the web.
Pages with MP&M-related content have been among the most frequently visited
pages on PFOnline in 2001, and keying in "metal products and machinery"
into a search engine like Yahoo! yields hundreds of results varying in relevance.
That said, I thought I'd take the opportunity to draw attention to some of the
web's best resources for information about MP&M.
EPA's
Metal Products & Machinery Site
Perhaps the best way to acquaint yourself with MP&M is get your information
straight from the horse's mouth. The site features a background of the rule, an
explanation of effluent guidelines, an overview of the EPA's data-collection activities,
a list of agency contacts, and of course, the proposed rule itself.
NAMF.org
Along with AESF and MFSA, the National Association of Metal Finishers is leading
the charge against MP&M. The recently redesigned NAMF web site features a
vast number of useful resources for learning about MP&M. Click on the "Government
Relations" button to access a wealth of MP&M information, including suggestions
for communicating effectively with the EPA, a downloadable overview of the MP&M
Rule (in Powerpoint format), and much more.
MFSA.org
MFSA.org is the online
home of the Metal Finishing Suppliers' Association. The site features an MP&M
page, a list of MP&M talking points, regulatory updates, and sample letters
for those considering submitting comments about the proposed ruling.
AESF.org
One of the most notable aspects of AESF's MP&M coverage is the inclusion of
Frank Altmayer's comments that were submitted to the U.S. EPA following his three-minute
oral testimony at the March 8, 2001 public hearing in Chicago, IL (click on the
Gov't Relations tab to access it). Altmayer is the President of Scientific Control
Laboratories, Inc., and also AESF's Technical Director. His comments represent
one of the best, most coherent arguments against MP&M to date. Mr. Altmayer
has also authored a sampling guidance report for MP&M, which is accesible
via AESF's site, as well as www.sclweb.com.
PFOnline's
MP&M Links
It's time for a little shameless self-promotion. PFOnline prides itself on supplying
the most complete coverage of MP&M of any publication in the finishing industry.
In addition to up-to-minute news about the proposal and online exclusive feature
articles, we have even established a special links page on our site providing
nothing but links to MP&M-related content.
