[CPEO-MEF] Dry Cleaners

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

[The following letter and sign-on letter were submitted by Henry S. Cole
<hcole@igc.org>. Though this legislation appears not to apply directly
to military facilities, the technologies it promotes could have
significant impact an military installations, where government-owned dry
cleaners have been consistent sources of pollution. - LS]


The CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

7611 South Osborne Road, Suite 201, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Phone:  (301) 780-7990, Fax:  (301) 780-7988, Email: hcole@igc.org

Henry S. Cole, Ph.D., President


Dear Friends, 

I am writing to urge you to add your organization to the attached “group
letter” supporting  HR 978, The Small Business Pollution Prevention
Opportunity Act.

Safe Cleaning Tax Credit Legislation The Center for Environmentally
Advanced Technologies is organizing a strong coalition to support this
effort, including:

*  National, state and grassroots environmental organizations
*  Public health advocates
*  Green technology and building organizations
*  Wetcleaning and liquid CO2 interests
*  Environmentally supportive public officials

Last year: With your support we were able to get strong bipartisan
participation in both houses of Congress for legislation that provides a
20 percent tax credit for cleaners who purchase safe dry cleaning
equipment. The language restricted the credit to inherently safe
alternatives including wetcleaning and Liquid CO2. Both are commercially
available with facilities cropping up across the nation.

Now: Congressman Don Manzullo, new Chair of the House Small Business
Committee, recently introduced this year's version, HR 978, The Small
Business Pollution Prevention Opportunity Act.    

This year's bill is virtually the same as last year's with two exceptions:

*  HR 978 offers a 40 percent tax credit if the cleaner is located in an
empowerment zone, enterprise community or renewal community.

*  HR 978 excludes equipment that uses hazardous solvents as the primary
cleaning agent. The bill defines hazardous solvent as a chlorinated
solvent, volatile organic compound (VOC) or any other substance
regulated as hazardous, having carcinogenic potential in humans or
possessing bioaccumulative properties. 

This language clearly includes wetcleaning and liquid CO2 for the tax
credit, but excludes perchloroethylene and petroleum hydrocarbons. We
are not certain whether the language on bioaccumulative properties will
exclude silicone-based cleaning solvents. The industry claims that this
solvent is safe however, there is a paucity of toxicological data on the
chemicals. We are working to gather more information on this issue and
will keep you posted.  

Please note that the liquid CO2 process uses only byproduct or waste
CO2. No new CO2 is produced for this environmentally sound application.

Please email <hcole@igc.org> or call (301 780-7990) to add your
organization's name to the [below] sign-on letter. 

The Center for Environmentally Advanced Technologies is a new nonprofit
organization created to promote the use of technologies that:

*  Eliminate the use of toxic and hazardous chemicals
*  Prevent pollution
*  Conserve resources
*  Improve public health and the environment
*  Create economic opportunity and jobs
*  Contribute to sustainable communities and ecosystems

To achieve its mission in support of environmentally advanced
technologies, the Center will: 

*  Work for public programs including legislation that provide
incentives for the development, commercialization, and widespread
application of environmentally advanced technologies (e.g. tax
incentives, government procurement policies, demonstration projects, etc.)

*  Identify and promote environmentally advanced technologies and give
recognition to firms and institutions that develop, provide and apply
these technologies

The Center will conduct research, publish reports, conduct public
outreach and media campaigns, organize coalitions, and engage in
lobbying. 

Please let me know if you need more information or have any questions on
the legislative campaign for safe dry cleaning or on the Center. 

With best wishes, 

Hank Cole

***

Proposed Group Sign on Letter 

Date

The Honorable ______________
Address 

Dear Congressman _______________:

We the undersigned environmental, health and consumer advocacy
organizations are writing to urge you to give your full and active
support to H.R. 978, the Small Business Pollution Prevention Opportunity
Act. Collectively, our organizations represent millions of Americans
working for a better environment and for healthier communities,
workplaces and technologies.  

This legislation will encourage many dry cleaners around the nation to
switch from the use of a highly toxic solvent, perchloroethylene, to new
cleaning technologies that are both safe and sustainable. The
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified
perchloroethylene as a probable human carcinogen. 

Our organizations have been concerned for many years about the risks
borne by dry cleaning workers and by those who live and work in
apartment and office buildings with dry cleaners. A recent study by
scientists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) and the National Institute for Environmental Health
Sciences (NIEHS) heightens our concerns.

The report by Ruder et al., published in the February 2001 American
Journal of Industrial Medicine, provides significant new evidence
indicating that dry cleaning workers who experience long-term exposure
to perchloroethylene have significantly excessive cancer death rates at
sites including tongue, bladder, esophagus, intestine, lung and cervix.

We are also concerned about the extensive damage to underground drinking
water resources caused by perchloroethylene releases from dry cleaners,
with national cleanup costs running into the billions of dollars.

We are also aware that dry cleaners are increasingly facing a host of
financial pressures related to the liabilities associated with
perchloroethylene. These include increased regulations, bans by
landlords, local zoning restrictions, and a virtual shutoff of bank
loans.  
 
All of these problems can be prevented. Wetcleaning and liquid carbon
dioxide technologies are commercially available and can totally
eliminate the hazards and liabilities associated with perchloroethylene.

The need for this action is greater than ever. 

Providing a tax incentive for cleaners who invest in safe, non-hazardous
technologies is an important step toward safe cleaning technologies. It
will also help tens of thousands of small and family-owned businesses
sustain themselves in the face of these pressures.  

We therefore support the 20 percent tax credit for cleaners who purchase
safe, non-hazardous technologies and are very pleased the tax credit
will be doubled for cleaners located in empowerment zones, enterprise
communities or renewal communities.

We also strongly support the prevention principle at the heart of H.R.
978 with its exclusion of “advanced perc machines,” volatile
hydrocarbon-based processes and other hazardous cleaning methods. 

As the bill is written, neither “advanced perc machines” nor petroleum
hydrocarbon equipment would be eligible for tax credits. We strongly
support the exclusion of these technologies and any others that include
toxic or hazardous solvents. 

As long as dangerous chemicals are used, cleaners will have to deal with
the many burdens associated with containment, monitoring, surveillance,
and regulation. Eliminating hazardous chemicals eliminates these
burdens. 

Let's help dry cleaners, our vital neighborhood enterprises, make the
switch to safer technologies.  We urge you to pass H.R. 978 and the
enormous environmental, health and economic benefits that it provides.

Signed:

(List of organizations)

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org

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