INDUSTRY NEWS
Charter Manufacturing Purchases Dura-Bar, Wells Charter Manufacturing Co., Me-
quon, Wis., has acquired Dura-Bar and Dura-Bar Metal Services as part of its stock purchase of Wells Manufacturing Co., Woodstock, Ill. Tis adds a fourth division focusing on specialty iron bar to Charter’s family of companies, which also includes Charter Steel, Charter Wire and Charter Automotive. “Dura-Bar and Wells Manufactur- ing Co. make an excellent match for
Charter Manufacturing,” said John A. Mellowes, chairman and CEO of Charter Manufacturing. “Both are family-owned companies that are respected leaders in their particular industries. For Charter, the acquisition of Dura-Bar and Dura-Bar Metal Services allows our organization to diversify and extend our reach into new markets. Te acquisition complements our continuing focus on the automotive sector, and while that will always be important to
PM2.5 Air Quality Standard Finalized Te U.S. Environmental Agency
(EPA) issued its final rule revising particulate matter air quality standards on Dec. 17. Te final rule lowers the primary annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) standard from 15 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3
) to 12 µg/m3 . Industry proponents argued EPA
should retain the current standard and highlighted how it would thwart the in- dustry and hurt the economy, referenc- ing EPA data showing PM values have dropped by 27% from 2000 to 2010. Industry proponents also underscored that current technologies are reducing pollution levels, and counties designated as non-attainment areas face immediate economic consequences. Business expansion in or near
non-attainment areas is subject to restrictive permit requirements with enhanced EPA oversight. A lowered standard will specifically restrict coun- ties’ ability to issue permits for new facilities. New or upgraded opera- tions must include the most effective PM2.5 emissions reduction technol- ogy and must offset PM2.5 emis- sions by funding costly reductions at existing facilities, regardless of cost. If cost-effective offsets cannot be found, the new project cannot proceed. EPA originally told a court it needed
until August 2013 to review comments and finalize PM2.5 standards. Howev- er, the rule was sent over to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the week of Dec. 10 and finalized the week of Dec. 17. As EPA had proposed, the final rule
requires PM2.5 monitors be moved near roadsides in urban areas with a popula-
January 2013 MODERN CASTING | 11
Charter, this acquisition extends our reach into the capital goods market.” Wells has approximately 360
employees at two U.S. facilities and one in China. Charter has operations in Milwaukee; Cuyahoga Heights and Fostoria, Ohio; Lichfield, U.K.; and Wuhu, China. Charter employs ap- proximately 1,500 people. Mellowes said there will be no staffing changes for the foreseeable future.
tion of 1 million or more. Stakeholder comments indicated near-road monitors may read as much as 20% higher than normally positioned ambient monitors. Te final rule delays placement of the monitors until January 2015 for areas with a population of 2.5 million or more and January 2017 for areas with popula- tions between 1.1 and 2.5 million. States will be expected to submit recommendations for designations
under the new lower annual PM2.5 standard by December 2013. States will be required to submit implementation plans under the new standard by 2018 and fully meet the standard by 2020. EPA claims the final rule will have minimal impact across the country. How- ever, its maps underestimate the number of counties that will suffer consequences under the new standards. Read more at
www.epa.gov/pmdesignations.
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