ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

May 23,

1974

KING-SEELEY COMPANY,

THERMOS DIV.,

)

Petitioner,

v.

)

PCB 74—107

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,

Respondent.

ORDER OF

THE

BOARD

(by Dr.

Odell)

On March

21,

1974, Petitioner filed its request for a

variance from Rule 205(f)

of Chapter Two:

Illinois Air Pollution

Regulations.

The Thermos Division of King-Seeley Company

(Thermos),

located in Macornb, manufactures

steel vacuum bottles and steel and

plastic ice chests and picnic

jugs.

The facility employs

175

persons.

The steel products are spray painted in three booths

emitting,

according to the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA)

a total of 44.8 lb/hr of non-exempt solvents into the atmosphere.

Petitioner estimated that only

35 to 40 pounds of xylol and toluol

are emitted hourly during the spraying operation. Rule 205(f)

of

Chapter Two limits each emission source to

8 lb/hr.

Petitioner claims compliance with Rule 205(f)

imposes an

unreasonable hardship in that the fuel ~shortage has made conversion

to exempt solvents presently beyond his power.

Petitioner

is

investigating various methods to achieve compliance but no schedule

for compliance was included in the Variance Petition.

Also, the

period for which the variance was sought was not indicated.

The EPA filed its Recommendation on April

30, 1974,

favoring

the grant of a variance stating, “considering the absence of

citizen complaints, the Agency is in agreement with Petitioner that

denial of the variance would impose a hardship.”

We grant the variance.

Petitioner’s problem in obtaining

exempt solvents is prevalent in the industry.

The hardship is not

self-imposed.

The Federal Energy office has established mandatory

allocation of petrochemical feedstocks

to petrochemical producers

——

including solvent manufacturers

--

in a quantity equal

to 100 per-

cent of the producer’s current requirements

(Fed.

Req. Vol.

39,

No.

10, Part III,

Subpart

2llJ, January

15,

1974).

Petitioner should

utilize such exempt solvents as they become available.

12—397

---

—2—

ORDER

Petitioner

is hereby granted a variance from Rule 205(f)

of Chapter

Two

to operate its three spray booths at the combined

emission rate not to exceed

45 lb/hr.

This Variance, which

extends through March

1,

1975,

is subject to the following con-

ditions:

1.

Commencing

30 days after the date of

this final Order,

Petitioner shall submit bi-monthly reports

to the EPA detailing

all progress made toward eventual compliance with Rule

205(f).

Said reports shall be sent to:

Environmental Protection Agency

Division of Air Pollution Control

Control Program Coordinator

2200 Churchill Road

Springfield,

IllinoIs

62706

2.

Petitioner

shall

utilize as much exempt solvent

formulations as can be furnished by its suppliers.

3.

Within one hundred and eighty days of the adoption

of

this

Order,

Petitioner

shall submit a revised compliance plan

to

the EPA,

This plan shall

achieve

compliance under one of the

following

methods:

a.

Achieve compliance

at the expiration of the

Variance

by replacement of photochemically

reactive solvents with non—reactive solvents

demonstrated

to be readily available;

or

b.

Achieve compliance

at

the expiration of the

Variance by qualification under the

Alternative

Standard of Rule 205(f) (1); or

C.

Achieve compliance by May 30,

1975, under the

provisions of Rule

205(f) (2) (D)

IT IS SO ORDERED,

I, Christan

L.

Moffett,

Clerk of the Illinois

Pollution Control

~3oar~

hereby

certify

that

the

above

Order

was

adopted on the

~~~day

of

_________

1974,

by

a

vote

of

___

to

~

(j

~fr~k~

Christan L. Mof~93t