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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are carbon-containing chemical compounds that readily evaporate into the atmosphere. Common examples of things that emit VOCs into the atmosphere include gasoline, mineral spirits, alcohol, nail polish, and paint.

VOC Laws

VOCs are released from many sources, including large and small process industries, commercial transportation, and automobiles. These sources, especially automobiles, are responsible for the majority of VOC emissions. As these major sources become subject to more stringent regulation, lawmakers seek to regulate smaller sources as well.

Regulatory Changes: What’s Ahead

On January 1, 2005, significant VOC restriction standards were enacted in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and northern Virginia. These standards have been taken primarily from the California Air Resource Board that led the way in VOC restriction measures.

These standards revisions are driven through a multi-state organization called the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC). The OTC focuses on developing regional solutions to ground-level ozone problems in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States.

Most recently Maine and New Hampshire have adopted AIM (Architectural and Industrial Maintenance) regulations based on the OTC Model rule as of January 2006 and 2007, respectively. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have all decided to adopt OTC AIM regulations and are currently in the legislative process of rule creation and adoption. The Massachusetts regulation will likely be implemented in January 2009 and Rhode Island and Connecticut are pushing for late 2008, early 2009 implementation. Finally, the state of Vermont has decided not to adopt an AIM Regulation.