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4 POWDER COATING, August 2018 percent and 256.44 percent, respec- tively. These specific measures come in addition to the US general tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Canadian government grants CPCA's exemption request OTTOWA, Ont.—The Canadian government recently granted the Ca- nadian Paint and Coatings Associa- tion's (CPCA's) request for an exemp- tion from tariffs on US goods coming into the country, as language could be interpreted to include pails, cans, vats, and totes used by in-country paint and coatings manufacturers. Since there is no Canadian manufac- turer of these pails and cans, manufac- turers based in Canada would face an increase of millions of dollars in higher input costs compared to equivalent products imported from the US. The tariff on US goods going into Canada went into effect July 1. CPCA president and CEO Gary LeR- oux noted that the North American paint and coatings industry is signifi- cantly integrated with a number of US- owned companies running manufac- turing facilities in Canada, which are aided by crossborder supply chains. These tariffs could be the last straw for many Canada-based manufacturers, especially small- and medium-sized en- terprises, already considering possible relocation to US jurisdictions with lower taxes, fewer regulations, lower energy and labor costs, ongoing ex- change rate challenges, and other in- centives for plant relocation. Thanks to consolidation, almost half of all paint and coatings products sold in Canada are imported from the US, marking a nearly 15 percent increase over the last decade. The same consoli- dation has contributed to the closure of Canadian manufacturing plants, forcing many companies to move head offices to the US. EU authorizes steel antidumping measures BRUSSELS, Belgium—The Euro- pean Union (EU) has voted to ap- prove a combination of quotas and tariffs on steel products to offset a feared influx of dumped steel after the US placed its own tariffs on incoming steel this Spring. The approach will involve a quota based on the amount of steel products imported into the EU in recent years, with a 25 percent tariff on any product imported be- yond that volume. The tariffs are pro- visional measures while the EC inves- tigates the effects the US tariffs are having on the market in Europe. The EU's approach to the steel trade could then change depending on the results of that investigation. The measures came at the behest of the European steel industry, which recently expressed concerns about the possibility of cheap Asian steel undercutting its competitive position in Europe. The US' tariffs on steel imports went into ef- fect over a period of months, affecting some Asian countries in March, and other countries, including Canada and the EU, at the beginning of June. Can- ada and the EU have since instituted re- taliatory tariffs on US goods. Researchers develop corrosion and coating evaluation system W R I G H T - P A T T E R S O N A I R FORCE BASE, Ohio—Scientists based out of the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Air Force Corrosion Prevention and Control Office, work- ing in collaboration with Luna Innova- tions Inc., have developed a new corro- sion and coating evaluation system that they say can accelerate coating materials performance evaluations. According to the researchers, the cost of corrosion control can be controlled by a better understanding of corrosion perfor- mance of materials put on aircraft. The new evaluation system, known as CorRES, measures coatings' ability to protect aircraft by using sensor panels that perform electrochemical measure- ments during corrosion testing. Un- like the more traditional visual-based testing alternative, the system records corrosion rate data throughout the course of a test and transmits the data to a base station for evaluation. In turn, this information reveals when a coating fails during a test. The system uses sensing elements to measure free and galvanic corrosion, coating barrier properties, and envi- ronmental effects on coating materials. It can be used in both a lab environ- ment as well as outdoor exposure site, which means that underperforming coatings can be eliminated from screenings earlier during testing. Axalta acquires California facility PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Axalta Coat- ing Systems has acquired a state-of- the-art manufacturing and distribu- tion facility in Sacramento, Calif., to support growth in its North American Industrial and Refinish businesses. Fi- nancial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Axalta is a leading global coatings company. OSHA cites manufacturer for serious safety violations WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Occu- pational Safety and Health Adminis- tration (OSHA) has cited MPV Mor- ganton Pressure Vessels North Caro- lina LLC, Marion, N.C., for exposing employees to fire, explosion, laceration, and struck-by hazards. The metal tank manufacturer faces proposed penalties of $101,800. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its cita- tions and proposed penalties to com- ply, request an informal conference, or contest the findings. An inspection of the company's Bay Minette, Ala., facility found 10 serious and three other-than-serious viola- tions, including exposure to fire and explosion hazards from an accumula- tion of combustible dust, laceration hazards from unguarded grinders, and struck-by hazards from unsecured pro- pane tanks. The inspection was part of OSHA's National Emphasis Program for Combustible Dust and the Re- gional Emphasis Program for Powered Industrial Trucks. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are re- sponsible for providing safe and health- ful workplaces for their employees. OS- HA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards. EPA administrator resigns WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Donald J. Trump has announced