NASF SUR/FIN is Moving to November 2-4, 2021

Date: February 4, 2021

NASF SUR/FIN is Moving to November 2-4, 2021

Please mark your calendars!

In order to provide the best and safest experience for the industry, NASF is moving this year’s SUR/FIN Show and Manufacturing & Technology Conference from July to November 2-4, 2021.

This year’s event will be an excellent opportunity for the industry to come back together after our hiatus. We’re eager to see everyone from across the finishing community — our exhibitors, partners, speakers, colleagues, attendees and guests — and host you in Detroit at the TCF Center for a productive and successful show.

Please mark your calendars now for SUR/FIN 2021, November 2-4. 

We are confident SUR/FIN 2021 will be the event the industry has been waiting for. There will be many opportunities for networking, education and collegiality in a COVID-responsible environment.

Thank you for your continued support of SUR/FIN and the NASF, and we look forward to a successful event with you as we prepare for November.

For more information please visit nasfsurfin.com.

MAMF Annual Golf Outing Held at Historic Course in NJ

Date: January 29, 2021

The MAMF is holding its annual Golf Outing at Oak Hill Golf Club on Tuesday, October 12.  Take a moment to read this article about this historical course.  Click here for the article.

Nominate a Young Professional for 40-Under-40 Program for 2020

Date: January 20, 2021

Products Finishing is recognizing our industry’s young talent through our annual 40-Under-40 awards program.  Click here for additional information.

Metal Chem Celebrates Grand Opening of New Facility

Date: January 20, 2021

MAMF member Metal Chem celebrates grand opening of new facility.  Click here to read the article in its entirety.

NASF Public Policy Update | January 2021

Date: January 20, 2021

The National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) offers its public policy update for January 2021 to the finishing industry.  Click here to read the article in its entirety.

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND INSTALLATION ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS

Date: January 14, 2021

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND INSTALLATION ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS

ALEXANDRIA, VA, January 7, 2021—The Department of Defense (DoD), through the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), supports the demonstration of technologies that address priority DoD environmental and installation energy requirements. The goal of ESTCP is to promote the transfer of innovative technologies through demonstrations that collect the data needed for regulatory and DoD end-user acceptance. Projects conduct formal demonstrations at DoD facilities and sites in operational settings to document and validate improved performance and cost savings.

ESTCP is seeking proposals for demonstrations of innovative environmental and installation energy technologies as candidates for funding beginning in FY 2022. The solicitation requests pre-proposals via Calls for Proposals to Federal organizations and via a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Private Sector organizations. Pre-proposals are due March 4, 2021 by 2 p.m. ET.

Detailed instructions are on the ESTCP website under Funding Opportunities.

DoD organizations (Service and Defense Agencies) may submit pre-proposals for demonstrations of innovative technologies in the following topic areas: Environmental Restoration Munitions Response in Underwater Environments Resource Conservation and Resiliency Weapons Systems and Platforms National Guard Readiness Center Energy Assurance Effective Planning for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Management Improved Energy Resilience Moisture Control in DoD Buildings Installation Energy and Water Technology Transfer
The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) and Call for Proposals (CFP) for Federal Organizations Outside DoD are seeking pre-proposals for technologies in the following topic areas: Innovative Technology Transfer Approaches Management of Impacted Groundwater Detection, Classification, Localization, And Remediation of Military Munitions in Underwater Environments Climate Model Comparative Assessment for DoD Infrastructure Applications Improved Threatened, Endangered and At-Risk Species’ Monitoring Tools for Improved Training and Testing Land Utilization Demonstration and Validation of PFAS-Free Fire Suppression Alternatives Technology Demonstrations to Accelerate Deployment of Energy Efficiency and Energy Resilience Solutions (BAA Only) Improved Energy Resilience Moisture Control in DoD Buildings Affordable Energy Assurance at National Guard Installations

WEBINAR – JANUARY 21: ESTCP Director Dr. Herb Nelson, Deputy Director Dr. Andrea Leeson, and the ESTCP Program Managers will conduct an online seminar “ESTCP Funding Opportunities” on January 21, 2021, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. This briefing will offer valuable information for those interested in new ESTCP funding opportunities. During the online seminar, participants may ask questions about the funding process, the current ESTCP solicitation, and the proposal submission process. Pre-registration for this webinar is required. If you have difficulty registering, please contact the ESTCP Support Office at serdp-estcp.webinars@noblis.org or by telephone at 571-372-6565

Congress’s Funding Package: What Manufacturers Should Know

Date: January 11, 2021

The National Association of Manufacturers’ policy team reports that legislators closely followed the NAM’s recommendations in a wide variety of policy areas.

Click here for more information.

Manufacturers Await Possible COVID-19 Regulations

Date: January 11, 2021

The National Association of Manufacturing is preparing manufacturers for a possible Emergency Temporary Standard that could be issued at the outset of the Biden administration.

Click here for more information.

New NJ Rules Would Crack Down on Pollution From Power Plants, Trucks, Industrial Boilers

Date: January 4, 2021

New rules to curb global warming pollution from power plants, smaller commercial and industrial boilers, and to shift New Jersey’s medium- and heavy-duty truck market from fossil fuels to zero-emission vehicles are being drafted by the state.

The proposals, expected to be published this spring by the Department of Environmental Protection, stem from a nearly year-old executive order by Gov. Phil Murphy aimed at helping achieve the goals of a new Energy Master Plan and the more than decade-old Global Warming Response Act (GWRA).

The Energy Master Plan provides a blueprint to transition New Jersey to a clean-energy economy and the GWRA directs the state to reduce carbon pollution by 80% below 2006 levels by 2050 as a way of fighting climate change. The emerging rules are part of a new effort by the DEP to achieve both goals in what has been dubbed Protecting Against Climate Threats (NJ PACT).

While short on specifics, DEP staffers gave a broad outline last week on how the state intends to crack down on both so-called stationary sources of global warming pollution — like power plants and commercial and industrial boilers — and mobile sources, such as medium- and heavy-duty trucks that primarily rely on fossil fuels to move goods around.

For instance, the department plans to establish new limits for carbon dioxide, the most prevalent greenhouse gas pollutant, for existing power plants, otherwise called electric generating units (EGUs) in agency jargon. The yet-to-be-set limits would ratchet down over time, according to Kenneth Ratman, assistant director of air quality planning and monitoring at the DEP.

Boilers, a heated issue

The agency also expects to propose a rule that would phase out older, smaller boilers (less than 5 million British Thermal Units) that use fossil fuels. The impact of such a rule would be significant, potentially affecting apartment buildings, schools, hospitals and other facilities, according to business lobbyists.

“It is going to affect an awful lot of people at a huge cost,’’ said Raymond Cantor, a vice president of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. “I don’t think the boiler issue has been well-vetted.’’

Dennis Hart, executive director of the Chemistry Industry Council, agreed, saying it “costs a fortune for industry to replace those boilers.’’ Among other things, the rule would require owners of fleets of boilers to submit a boiler fleet report and replace smaller, older fossil fuel combustion boilers with non-fossil fuel boilers.

With the state transitioning from use of fossil fuels to cleaner but more costly alternatives, critics argued the department needs to begin prioritizing what new costs the public and businesses must absorb from these programs.

Following California’s lead

But Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, defended the rules, saying their targets “are major sources of air pollution. If we don’t go after these sources, we will never get the reductions we need.’’

In the transportation sector, the DEP plans to adopt, with some modifications, the California Advanced Clean Truck Act, a law approved there last summer. The law requires increased zero emission requirements for medium- and heavy-duty trucks — everything from delivery vans to long-haul tractor trailers. In New Jersey, the requirements would start with the 2025 model year and continue to be scaled up until 2035.

“It is a 2021 version of the Clean Car Act,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey, referring to a similar mandate governing light-duty zero emission vehicle sales that the state adopted after another California law.

O’Malley defended the scope of the proposed rules, saying they are desperately needed to reduce emissions from power plants, boilers and mobile sources. “Climate action is a question of whether we pay now or we pay a lot more later,’’ he said.

Another new rule proposal would clamp down on emissions of nitrogen oxide from some medium- and all heavy-duty vehicles. The pollutant is one of the primary ingredients in smog, or ground-level ozone, during summer days throughout New Jersey, but particularly in urban areas among people with respiratory ailments.

Moving forward with the rules will help communities long suffering from unhealthy levels of air pollution, advocates said. “Decarbonizing and electrification of the transportation sector provides outsize benefits to environmental justice communities,’’ according to the DEP.

In other proposals, the department plans to establish a new program to periodically inspect certain medium-duty diesel vehicles — large pickups, walk-in vans (such as those used by plumbing and heating contractors) and delivery trucks, the only classes of vehicles not currently covered by periodic inspections.

Finally, the agency is drafting a proposal to require diesel-powered equipment at ports to be converted to cleaner technologies. Eventually, the DEP may adopt another California program to transition this equipment to full electric.

Click here for more information.

MAMF 2021 Journal Book

Date: November 19, 2020

For over 100 years the Masters’ Association of Metal Finishers (MAMF) has been the driving force behind the metal finishing industry in the Northeast; promoting and protecting the interests of our industry, its workers and the environment.  MAMF is one of the larger affiliates of the NASF, a national organization of metal finishing companies, suppliers, and individual members based in Washington D.C.

The MAMF has been in the forefront of promoting the general welfare of the metal finishing industry through its advocacy work and its dedication to the promotion of the positive work that is being done in the industry.  The MAMF has developed strong relationships with federal, state, and local regulatory and environmental agencies that foster the compliance and education of its members. We strongly believe that protection of the environment, the public at large, and the welfare of our work force are, and must continue to be, primary objectives of our Association and its members. We support all equitable and reasonable regulations designed to achieve those goals and we condemn those who would purposely evade those regulations.  With your support of our Journal we can continue to provide the information and services our members have expected from our organization.

The Masters’ Association of Metal Finishers is producing a Journal to coincide with their annual 2021 Annual Awards Celebration.  Please consider purchasing an ad in our keepsake Journal.   This keepsake will contain detailed information about each of members of the MAMF.  Enclosed is a form to purchase an ad in the Journal.  There are a limited number of ad pages in the Journal so please be sure to reserve your ad space as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your consideration and support of the MAMF.

On behalf of the MAMF, I want to thank you in advance for your continued support.

Very truly yours,

Jeff Lawrence, President, MAMF      

2020 MAMF Journalfor more information