Colorado proposes the strictest consumer goods VOC limits in the US except for California

On 25 September the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) recommended to amend its existing VOC rule to align with the 2018 "Phase V" Ozone Transportation Commission (OTC) regulation. This more stringent model, whose standards were only recently passed in California, has not been adopted by any other U.S. state. Colorado air regulators put forward rigorous volatile organic compound (VOC) requirements for consumer products. By adopting the rule, the state’s limits for these goods would be strictest apart from California. 

Colorado's existing VOC rule, Regulation No. 21, conforms to the Ozone Transportation Commission's 2012 'Phase IV' model rule. To reduce ground level ozone, which is the main constituent in smog pollution, and to develop draft rules for locals, the coalition of north-eastern states in the US (i.e., OTC) is collaborating to find a solution. For a variety of goods, including carpet cleaners, dusters, odour removers, insect repellants, and glass and tyre cleaners, the proposed update includes revised definitions and new or reduced VOC limits. It does not, however, contain all phase V model rule requirements. Because of freezing and safety issues, it omits new VOC criteria for windshield water repellent as well as for some lubricants that have restrictions on reformulation. 

Additionally, the proposal forgoes stricter regulations on some aerosols due to propellant concerns. The proposed rule mentions that Colorado recently passed laws banning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which includes a deadline of 2027 for the phase-out of hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) as propellants in cosmetics and fabric treatments. 

Manufacturers won't be permitted to utilize the current propellants in these aerosol products after that date, and they "are unsure of the ability of future products to comply with the OTC VOC content limits," the statement reads. However, the division's limitations on aerosol VOC concentration are expected to be reviewed in the future, according to the air quality commission.