CONTACT: Martin Indars
1-610-692-2112

HARRISBURG, April 30 –  State Senator Andy Dinniman has introduced a bill that sets tougher TCE-emission standards on two Collegeville-area companies releasing high levels of the hazardous pollutant into the air.

On Monday, Dinniman introduced legislation that would require local companies Superior Tube and Accellent to effectively reduce their TCE emissions by at least 75 percent.

In addition to the legislation, Senator Dinniman has also asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental to set tougher standards on this industry.

“I’m taking on the TCE issue in Collegeville on three fronts. I’m going down every avenue possible to ensure that the air in Collegeville is safe to breathe,” Dinniman said. “With my legislation in place, with my request for tougher regulations to the EPA in place, and with my request to the DEP in place, we now have tripled the chances of successfully toughening the TCE-emission standards for these companies.”

Under Dinniman’s legislation, the two Collegeville-area companies and the other narrow-tube manufacturer in the Commonwealth that uses TCE as its degreasing solvent would have to reduce their TCE output to no more than 15.5 tons a year. Superior Tube and Accellent currently emit between 60 and 75 tons of TCE a year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The 15.5-ton-a-year standard is the same standard the Environmental Protection Agency on April 16 placed on other degreasing (halogenated solvent cleaning) companies, such as those that manufacture metal parts for the transportation and furniture industries. To the dismay of Senator Dinniman, Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the EPA exempted narrow-tube manufacturers such as Superior Tube and Accellent from the new, more stringent standards.

“The EPA should not have exempted TCE-emitters like Superior and Accellent from its new rules,” Dinniman said. “But just because the federal government didn’t do what needs to be done doesn’t mean I can’t write tougher pollution laws for Pennsylvania, and that’s the objective behind my legislation.”

In addition to this bill, Dinniman has been in direct communication with DEP senior officials and has formally requested regulatory changes to decrease TCE levels. Last week, he and fellow elected officials asked the federal government to revisit its decision to exempt the narrow-tube industry from more stringent regulations.

“While the DEP and especially Superior and Accellent are taking voluntary steps that should decrease local TCE levels by some time in 2008,” Dinniman said. “The residents in my district and throughout the Collegeville area deserve more than voluntary measures. They deserve to know that the law is on their side and that their government will require that companies do all they can to protect the health of local residents.”

For more information, call Senator Dinniman’s office at 717-787-5709 or 610-692-2112, or e-mail mindars@pasenate.com.