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