March 18, 1997

Note to: CSI Metal Finishing Subcommittee Members and Other Interested Parties

From: Paul Shapiro, EPA/ORD CSI Coordinator

Subject: CSI Metal Finishing P2 Verification Pilot Project Proposal

Attached is a copy of the CSI Metal Finishing P2 Verification Pilot Project Proposal (VPP) dated February 28, 1997, that was submitted to the Agency's Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) for FY97 funding. It appears that it has a good chance of being funded.

As indicated in the proposal, developing a verification protocol and process is one of the high priority recommendations from the National Metal Finishing Environmental R&D Plan (Plan). The Research and Technology Work Group on March 12, 1997, and the CSI Metal Finishing Subcommittee at its March 13, 1997, meeting formally endorsed this project.

As indicated in the proposal, we have an initial Planning Group of about twenty people that will eventually become the Stakeholder Group that is required for all ETV pilot projects. The Stakeholder Group will have key responsibilities--it will play a large role in determining what specific categories of technologies (drawn from the priority R&D recommended materials of concern in the Plan) will be tested, where and how the tests will be conducted, in developing the test protocols, etc.

So far we have good representation from industry and environmental groups, although we will need perhaps twenty additional industry representatives who are expert in the plating technology areas that could be addressed--hexavalent chromium, cadmium, cyanide, and chlorinated solvents.

We especially need recommendations for additional technically-qualified people in the category of "enablers" on which ETV places a high priority. This includes: EPA program and regional office and State and local government staff to ensure that the kinds of technologies that are tested will be relevant to compliance requirements and will be accepted by regulators and enforcement and compliance staffs.

If you have recommendations for participants from any of the stakeholder groups (or, if you would like to participate, even if it is just in this initial planning phase), please send me their names and your name, the various ways to contact them or you, and some information on their or your affiliation and background. You may reach me at: tel--202-260-4969, fax--202-401-1014, and e-mail--shapiro.paul@epamail.epa.gov. Thanks.

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