ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
October 14,
1971
CHICAGO-DUBUQUE FOUNDRY CORP.
V.
)
#
71—309
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Opinion and Order of the Board
(by Mr.
Currie)
Chicago-Dubuque
filed a variance petition May
27,
1971, which
we dismissed as inadequate, partly because
it did not contain any
program for achieving
compliance.
Chicago-Dubuque Foundry
Co.
v.
EPA,
#
71-130
(June 28,
1971).
The company filed
a new petition
in August, stating~with’accompanying documents that
it had ordered
a baghouse,
hired
a contractor to install
it, applied for
a permit,
and begun final engineering, with compliance expected in
38 weeks
or less after the issuance
of
a permit.
The Agency’s recommendation,
received October 12, does
not say whether or not
the permit has
been granted but implies that the installation will be adequate
by asking that we grant the variance on certain conditions
for
a period of seven months from the date of the recommendation,
that
is,
until May
12,
1972, which
is about the same date suggested
by the company
on the assumption the permit was quickly granted.
Ideally we should prefer to have more facts as to the relative
hardships
to the company if forced to close and to the community
if the variance
is granted before taking action,
But two months
have passed with no hearing scheduled,
and
time forbids
our holding
a hearing and studying a transcript within the tight 90-day period
in
which the statute requires we make
a final decision.
Since both
parties agree that there should be
a grant rather than a shutdown,
we will grant the variance for seven months
on several conditions
as suggested by the Agency.
One of the Agency1s most critical recommendations
is that the
variance should be conditioned upon
the payment of a money penalty
for delays that are alleged in some detail in bringing the facility
into compliance and
for failure to adhere to
its earlier program
as approved
in 1968.
In past cases
we have imposed such conditions,
e.g., Marquette Cement Co.
v.
EPA,
#
70-23
(Jan.
6,
1971).
In the
present case time does not permit postponing resolution of
the variance
case pending
a hearing on the Agency~s allegations,
and the company
is entitled to
a hearing.
We therefore construe the recommendation
as
a complaint charging violations and asking money penalties and
authorize
a hearing
to be held on that complaint.
The variaince
granted today shields the company from prosecution for operation
in accord with
its terms during the next seven months, but
it
2
--
669
is not to be read as excusing any past violations that may have
occurred.
ORDER
1.
Chicago—Dubuque Foundry Corp.
is hereby granted a variance
to
operate
its cupola in excess of the particulate emission limits
until May
12, 1972, subject to the following conditions~
a.
The company shall proceed with
its purchase and installation
of the control equipment
as set out
in its P~mendedPetition
for Variance and shall obtain all necessary permits without
delay.
h.
Thecompany shall
file
a complete assessment of emissions
from its core ovens
and shakeout area with the Agency
within two months after receipt of this order,
and,
if such assessment indicates
a need
for reduction of
emissions, shall by the same date
file with
the Agency
and the Board
a firm program for achieving such reduction;
c.
The company shall within 35 days after receipt of this
order post with the Agency
a bond or other security in
the amount of $50,000 to assure prompt compliance with
the conditions
of this order;
d.
The company shall file monthly progress reports with
the
Agency;
e.
Failure
to adhere to the conditions of this order shall
be grounds for revocation of the variance.
2.
A hearing is hereby authorized upon
the Agency~s counter-
complaint for money penalties
for violations prior to August,
1971.
Nothing in paragraph
1 of this order shall be
construed to excuse any such earlier violations.
I, Regina E.
Ryan, Clerk of the Pollution Control Board, certify
that the Board adopted the above Opinion and Order of the Board
this
14
day of
October
,
I ~
/
2
67~