ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
    December 19, 1974
    SOUTHERN
    ILLINOIS
    POWER
    COOPERATIVE
    Petitioner,
    v.
    )
    PCB
    74—359
    ENVIRONMENTAL
    PROTECTION
    AGENCY,
    )
    Respondent.
    OPINION AND
    ORDER
    OF
    THE
    BOARD
    (by
    Dr.
    Odell)
    On October
    4,
    1974, Southern Illinois Power Cooperative
    (SIPC)
    filed its Petition for Variance to extend the date by
    which it had to achieve compliance with Rule 203(g) of the Air
    Pollution Regulations
    (Chapter Two)
    and Rule 2-2.53 of the Rules
    and Regulations Governing the Control of Air Pollution
    (Rules
    and Regulations).
    In two previous Pollution Control Board
    (Board)
    cases,
    SIPC had been granted variances to operate its electric power
    generating station above the particulate limitations set out in
    Chapter Two and the Rules and Regulations.
    In Southern Illinois
    Power Cooperative
    v. Environmental Protection Agency, PCB 72—2Tff,
    7 PCB 9
    (February
    6,
    1973J, Petitioner was granted a variance until
    January 30, 1974,
    in order to install three electrostatic pre-
    cipitators on 4ts coal-fired boilers, subject to a construction
    program which *ould bring its facilities into compliance by April
    1975.
    The Order indicated further variance extensions conditional
    on good faith efforts to implement its installation program.
    In
    Southern Illinois Power Cooperative v. Environmental Protection
    Agency PCB 73-436,
    10 PCB 363 (December 13, 1973), a variance was
    granted until January 30, 1975, to permit continued implementation
    of the original compliance plan.
    Petitioner operates its facility eight miles south of Marion
    in Williamson County,
    Illinois.
    The plant has three 33 M~units,
    each fired by cyclone boilers equipped with multiple cyclone dust
    collectors.
    Electrostatic precipitators have to be installed for
    all three units.
    However, the delivery of Robicon Rapper Controls
    --
    to be installed on the precipitators
    -—
    has been delayed for
    30 days.
    Although the precipitators can be operated without the
    Controls, stack gases cannot be removed until the Robicon Rapper
    Controls are working.
    The Petitioner requested that a variance
    be granted from Rule 203(g)
    of Chapter Two and Rule 2-2.53 of the
    Rules and Regulations until May 30, 1975.
    Present particulate
    emissions are 0.67 lb/MBTU.
    Rule 203(g) (1) (B)
    of Chapter Two
    14
    —
    763
    —2—
    limits emissions to 0.1 lb/MBTU.
    The standard under Rule 2-2.53
    of the Rules and Regulations is 0.45 lb/MBTU.
    The Environmental Protection Agency
    (Agency)
    filed its
    Recommendation on November 15, 1974.
    The Agency was of the
    opinion
    that Petitioner’s compliance program would reduce total emissions
    to 0.04 lb/MBTU, which would be in compliance with both Rule 2-2.53
    and Rule 203 (g) (1) (B).
    The Agency recommended that the
    variance
    be
    granted until May 30, 1975.
    The Agency
    believed
    that
    a
    thirty—day
    extension beyond the April 1975 date originally
    contemplated
    by
    the
    Board was reasonable considering the delay in obtaining the
    Robicon
    Rapper Controls and the time required for start-up, debugging,
    and
    testing.
    The variance request from Rule 203 (g) (1) (B)
    is dismissed as
    untimely in that the Rule is not in effect for the duration of this
    variance.
    We grant the variance from Rule 2—2.53 of the Rules and
    Regulations until May 30, 1975.
    We grant the variance for the
    following reasons.
    First,
    the character and degree of environmental
    injury will be minimal for the term of this variance.
    Second, the
    pollution source serves an important social and economic function
    on the community.
    Third, the facility is well suited to the area
    in which it
    is operating.
    Fourth, the Petitioner has acted in good
    faith and done everything technically practical to achieve com-
    pliance.
    IT IS THE ORDER of the Pollution Control Board that:
    1.
    Variance from Rule 203(g) (1) (B)
    of Chapter Two is
    dismissed as untimely.
    2.
    Southern Illinois. Power Company be granted a Variance
    from January 30, 1975, until May 30, 1975,
    from Rule 2—2.53 of
    the Rules and Regulations Governing the Control of Air Pollution,
    unless completion of start—up and testing of the electrostatic
    precipitators permits compliance at an earlier date.
    3.
    All applicable conditions imposed by the Board Order
    in PCB 72-238 shall remain in full force and effect.
    The date for
    forfeiture
    of $10,000, as stated in Order
    #2 of PCB 72—238, shall
    be moved to May 30, 1975.
    IT
    IS SO ORDERED.
    I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
    Board, hereby certify that the above Opinion and Order was adopted
    on the
    IT~&
    day of
    ____________,
    1974, by a vote of
    4/
    toO
    ristan L.
    ett
    14
    —
    784

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