ILLINOIS POLLUTTON CONTROL BOARD
January 17, 1974
GRANITE CITY STEEL COMPANY,
Petitioner,
PCB
73—437
vs.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
Respondent.
Leah S. Hamilton, Attorney, appeared on behalf
of
Petitioner.
Thomas H. Casper, Attorney, appeared on behalf of the
Environmental Protection Agency.
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by Mr. Seaman)
On October 26, 1973, Petitioner, Granite City Steel,
Division of National Steel Corporation, filed its Petition
For Extension of Variance. Petitioner operates an integrated
steel plant located in Granite City, Madison County, Illinois.
The instant Petition seeks extension of a variance initially
granted by this Board in PCB 70-34 and subsequently extended
in PCB 73-26.
The subject of this Variance extension is Petitioner’s
sinter process main windbox and pug mill. The main purpose
of the sinter process is to reclaim various material fines
developed from other steel processes to produce a useable
product for the blast furnace. The sinter machine consists
of a traveling grate, 8 ft. wide and 128 ft. long. The
sinter process fuses the blended material producing a clinker
material suitable for charging in the blast furnace. In the
process, air is drawn through the bed to complete combustion
and to cool the bed of hot clinker. Small dust particles
in the bed become entrained in the exhaust gas stream and
must be collected prior to discharging them into the atmosphere.
In order to remove these fine particles, control equipment
consisting of two banks of multiclones were originally installed.
More recently, Petitioner has installed a high energy scrubber.
This Board on April 25, 1972 (PCB 70—34) granted Petitioner
a one year Variance to install control equipment (Venturi
Scrubber System) on the sinter process (paragraph 9 of Stipulation,
PCB 70—34)
.
This time period contemplated extensions of the
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Variance until the 19 1/2 months construction schedule was
completed. Extensions of the Variance were to be based on
Petitioner maintaining satisfactory progress toward the
completion of the project. Nineteen and one-half months
from April 25, 1972 contemplated a completion date of
December 10, 1973. On January 25, 1973, Petitioner filed
a Petition for extension of the previously granted Variance.
This Petition was docketed PCB 73-26. The opinion of the
Board in that cause (dated May 31, 1973) granted Petitioner
an extension of the Variance for Ihe sinter process main
windbox and puq mill for 7 1/2 months.
The original Board Order (PCB 70-34)
,
the Petition
for extension (P03 73-26)
,
and the Agency Recommendation
(PCB 73-26) all contemplated a Variance extension for
the sinter process main windbox and pug mill for 19 1/2 months
or until December 10, 1973.
By the instant Petition, Petitioner requests an
additional 78 days, or until February 26, 1974, to complete
the following items on the scrubber:
1. Modify, repair, or replace the electrical switch
gear run circuit breaker so that this electrical equipment
will remain actuated during operation of the system.
2. Eliminate the vibration in the “pulling” fan to
permit the system to operate without interruption.
~ Eliminate cavitation at the intake pipe to the
“Kinpactor” pump.
4. Clean and remove accumulation of foreign matter on
instrument and controls for the system to permit reliable
operation.
5. Calibrate and reset all instruments and controls.
6. Correct miscellaneous electrical wiring problems.
Paragraph 12 of the Order of April 25, 1972 provides:
“12) Failure of Granite City Steel Company to
comply with any term of this Stipulation or of Exhibit A
hereto shall not result in any forfeiture or penalty if
occasioned by Act of God or the piblic enemy, accidental
fire or explosion, flood, war, riot, sabotage, accident,
government priority or other action by any state or federal
governmental authority or local governmental authority other
than relating to pollution control, strike, slowdown, lockout,
or work stoppage or labor trouble of any kind whatsoever,
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failure of supply of materials, parts or equipment, or
f~ilure, delay, or refusal of any designer, fabricator,
or supplier to design, fabricate, deliver, or install
as agreed any equipment specified herein, provided such
failure, delay or refusal is not due to the fault of
Granite City Steel Company, or if occasioned by any other
circumstance, whether of like character or different
character from those enumerated above, which circumstance
is beyond the reasonable control of the Company.” (emphasis
supplied).
Petitioner alleges that itó’has experienced delays
excused under Paragraph 12, and beyond its control,
totalling 78 days in the installation of the scrubber system.
In each instance, Petitioner submitted to the Agency a
timely advisory letter notifying the Agency of the delays
being experienced and the causes thereof.
Petitioner has submitted documentary evidence to
substantiate its claim that the delay of 78 days in its
project completion schedule was caused by forces beyond its
control: bad weather, strike or labor trouble and failure
of suppliers to perform as agreed. All of these causes
of delay are excused under Paragraph 12 of our Order of
April 25, 1972. The Agency is of the opinion that the delays
were not caused by Petitioner and that the 78—day extension
is reasonable.
We find Petitioner’s evidence convincing and will,
accordingly, grant the extension of variance as requested,
subj.ect to certain conditions.
This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and
conclusions of law of the Board.
ORDER
IT IS THE ORDER of the Pollution Control Board that
Petitioner, Granite City Steel, be granted an extension of
the variance originally
granted
in PCB 70-34 and subsequently
extended in PCB 73-26 until February 26, 1974, subject to
the following conditions:
1. All applicable conditions in the Order of the
Pollution Control Board in PCB 70-34 and PCB 73-26 shall
remain in full force and effect.
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2. Petitioner shall notify:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Division of Air Pollution
Region IV Office
ll5A West Main Street
Collinsville, Illinois 62234
(Telephone 618/345—0700)
one day in advance of any outage of the gas cleaning device.
3. That during any outage of the gas cleaning device,
Petitioner shall blend and sinter materials of the lowest
dusting potential.
4. Petitioner shall perform a stack test within 120
days after completion of the modifications. Petitioner
shall notify:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Division of Air Pollution Control
Region IV Office
il5A West Main Street
Collinsville, Illinois 62234
(Telephone 618/345—0700)
at least five (5) days in advance of said stack test and allow
Agency observation if desired. Petitioner shall submit the
results of said test to:
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Division of Air Pollution Control
Control Program Coordinator
2200 Churchill Road
Springfield, Illinois 62706
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, certify that the above Opinion and Order
was adopt d on this
/(~‘
day of
____________,
1974 by a
vote of
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