ILLINOIS
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
1021
NORTH
GRAND AVENUE
EAST,
P.O.
Box 19276,
SPRINGFIELD,
ILLINOIS
62794-9276,
21 7-782-3397
JAMES
R.
THOMPSON CENTER,
100
WEST
RANDOLPH,
SUITE
11-300,
CHICAGO,
IL 60601, 312-814-6026
ROD
R.
BLAGOJEVICH,
GOVERNOR
RENEE
CIPRIANO,
DIRECTOR
October 30, 2003
Dorothy Gunn, Clerk
Pollution Control Board
100 West Randolph Street
Suite 11-500
Chicago,
IL
60601
RE:
NOTICE OF PROVISIONAL VARIANCE APPROVAL
PV-2004-591-03
Dear Ms. Gunn:
Pursuant to Subsection 37(b) of the Environmental Protection Act
(415
ILCS 5/37(b)), attached is a copy of the
Illinois EPA’s recent approval of a request for provisional variance.
As you know, the Board must maintain for
public inspection copies of all provisional variances filed with it by the Illinois EPA.
Please
feel free to call me
at the number referenced above should you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jh/
Todd Rettig, Mgr.
BOL Section
Division of Legal Counsel
Attachment
ROCKFORD
—4302
North
Main Street,
Rockford, IL 61103 —(815) 987-7760
•
DES
PLAINES —9511 W.
Harrison St.,
Des Plaines, IL 60016— (847)
294-4000
ELGIN —595 South
State,
Elgin,
IL 60123— (847)608-3131
•
PEORIA —5415
N. University St.,
Peoria,
IL 61 614 —(309) 693-5463
BUREAU OF
LAND
-
PEORIA
—
7620
N. University St., Peoria,
IL 61614— (309) 693-5462
•
CHAMPAIGN —2125
South
First Street, Champaign, IL 61820— (217) 278-5800
SPRINGFIELD —4500 5.
Sixth
Street
Rd.,
Springfield,
IL 62706 —(217) 786-6892
•
COLLINSVILLE —2009 MalI
Street, CoIIinsviIIe,
IL 62234 —(618) 346-5120
MARION —2309W. Main
St.,
Suite
116, Marion, IL 62959 —(618) 993-7200
(217)
782-5544
TDD:
(217)
782-9143
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ILLINOIS
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
1021
NORTH GRAND
AVENUE
EAST,
P.O.
Box 19276,
SPRINGFIELD,
ILLINOIS
62794-9276, 217-782-3397
JAMES
R.
THOMPSON CENTER,
100
WEST
RANDOLPH,
SUITE
11-300,
CHICAGO,
IL 60601, 312-814-6026
(217)
782-5544
TDD: (217) 782-9143
ROD
R.
BLAGOJEVICH,
GOVERNOR
RENEE
CIPRIANO,
DIRECTOR
October 30, 2003
Mr. Cesar Vasquez, Quality & EHS Manager
Mattoon Lamp Plant
General Electric Company
1501
5.
19th
Street
Mattoon, Illinois 61938
RE:
PROVISIONAL VARIANCE APPROVAL
-
PV-2004-591-03
General Electric Company/1LD005443 866-Coles County/Compliance
Dear Mr. Vasquez:
On October 17, 2003, the Illinois EPA received the attachedrequest in which General Electric Company
requested a provisional variance from the accumulation time limitations of 35
III. Adm. Code 722.134(b) for the
above-referenced facility.
This request was docketed as PV-2004-591-03.
The Illinois EPA has reviewed the
information provided andhas decided to grant a provisional variance from the accumulation time limitations of
35
Ill. Adm. Code 722.134(b) due to unforeseen, temporary and uncontrollable circumstances.
Compliancewith
the accumulation time limitations of 35
Ill. Adm. Code 722.134(b) would impose, under these circumstances,
an
arbitrary or unreasonable hardship.
-
The grant ofthis provisional variance appears consistent with 40 CFR 262.34(b) (1991), adopted pursuant to the
Resource Conservation andRecovery Act of 1976
(P.L.
94-5 80), which authorizes the Regional Administrator
for the United States Environmental Protection Agency to grant similar extensions when hazardous wastes must
remain on-site for longer than 90 days due to unforeseen, temporary, or uncontrollable circumstances.
The Illinois EPA grants this provisional variance in accordance with its authority containedin Sections
35(b),
36(c) and 37(b) of the Environmental Protection Act (415 ILCS
5/35(b),
36(c) and 37(b), (2002)).
This
provisional variance from the
accumulation time limitations of 35
Ill. Adm. Code
722.134(b) is granted for the
time period
from October 14, 2003
through November
14, 2003, for the seven 55-gallon drums of a hazardous
waste consisting of old flashcubes and sand waste
as
described in the attached request. The decision to grant this
provisional variance
is not intended to address compliance with any other applicable law and regulation.
cc:
Illinois Pollution Control Board
ROCKPORD
—4302 North Main Street, Rockford,
IL 61103
—
(815) 987-7760
•
DES
PLAINES
—
951
1
W. Harrison
St.,
Des
P(aines, IL 60016
—
(847) 294-4000
ELGIN
—595
South
State, Elgin, IL 60123 —(847) 608-3131
•
PEORIA
—5415
N.
University
St.,
Peoria,
IL 61614 —(309) 693-5463
BUREAU
OF
LAND
-
PEORIA
—
7620
N. University St., Peoria,
IL 61614— (309) 693-5462
•
CH,’MPAIGN
—2125 South
First Street, Champaign, IL 61820— (217) 278-5800
SPRINGFIELD
—4500 S.
Sixth
Street
Rd., Springfield,
IL 62706 —(217) 786-6892
•
COLLINSVILLE
—
2009
MaIl
Street,
Collinsviile,
IL 62234 —(618) 346-5120
MARION
—2309W.
Main
St.,
Suite
116,
Marion,
IL 62959 —(618) 993-7200
E.
Svoboda
‘Chief Legal Counsel
Division of Legal Counsel
Attachment
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GE Lighting, LLC
Cesar A. Vasquez
GE
Consumer Products
-
Lighting
Quality
&
EHS
Manager
General
Electric Company
Cesar.vasquez©Iighting.ge.com
1501
S.
19th
Street
Mattoon,
IL 61938
Phone: 8*580~1259
—(217) 258-9259
Fax: 8*580~1
204 —(217) 258-9204
VIA FACSIMILE
(217) 524-3291
W/Hard
Copy by US
Mail
October 15,
2003
Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency
Land
Pollution Control
2200 Churchill Road
RECEIVED
Springfield,
Illinois 62706
OCT i
7
2003
Att.: Joyce L.
Munie,
P.E.
IEPA-DLPC
Manager, Permit Section
-
Re:
Request for Emergency Variance
—
Extension of generator accumulation time
Coles County
General
Electric Company
1LD005443866
-
Dear
Ms. Munie:
I
am writing to request a provisional variance from
35
Ill.
Adm.
Code 722.124(a) and (b)
to
the
extent
that
it
prohibits
us
from
accumulating
seven
55-gallon
drums
of
a
hazardous waste (consisting of old flash
bulbs
and
sand) on-site for longer than
ninety
(90) days.
General Electric Company Mattoon
Lamp Plant (GE) recently removed a concrete slab
on
the exterior of our building.
This concrete slab was the foundation for
a
device
that
treated off-spec flash bulbs, which this facility produced
in
the I 970s.
GE removed that
treatment
device
many
years
ago.
When
removing
the
concrete
foundation
we
discovered
a
mixture
of
old
flashcubes
and
sand
filling
two
4-foot
diameter
circular
depressions
in
the slab.
On
July
15, 2003 we
placed
the
material
into seven 55-gallon drums and labeled
them
“Hazardous Waste”. We also recorded on the labels
a July
15,
2003 accumulation date.
We
then
researched
our
records to find
what
is
present
in
a flash
bulb. We
compiled
that
information
and
sent it to
Clean
Harbors,
Inc. to
profile the waste.
Late
last week
Clean
Harbors
reported to me that it will
not transport the waste until we send
a sample
of the waste to
laboratory approved
for
classifying explosives
under US
Department of
Transportation
(DOT)
regulations.
Furthermore,
if
tests
find
the
material
meets
the
definition
of
an
explosive
under
DOT
regulations,
we
may
have
to
obtain
a
DOT
authorization
number
before
anyone
can
transport
the
waste.
This
was
a
complete
surprise.
This week we
have been trying to locate a laboratory qualified to perform the necessary
testing, but
it
is
now obvious that we will
exceed the
90-day limit for accumulating this
waste on-site without
a permit.
It
is for that reason we seek an extension of the 90-day
limit. We believe
we will
be able to locate
a
laboratory, complete the testing, and
if an
special
authorization is needed to ship the
waste, obtain
that authorization,
within thirty
(30)
days.
Accordingly, we
request an
approval to
accumulate the seven drums
of this
flashcube and sand waste until November
13,
2003.
We
make this request
in accordance with
35
Ill.
Adm. Code
180.204.
The seven drums
of waste are staged
within
our
140-drum
capacity 90-day accumulation
area
and
are
inspected
weekly.
This
90-day
accumulation
area
has
a
curbed
concrete
floor,
is
covered
by a roof and
has the
capability to retain
20
minutes
of firewater from
a
foam
sprinkler system.
The
maximum
number of drums
of other waste
and virgin
materials
we expect to
be
in
the
same
area
during the
next 30 days
is
80
containers. The drums
will
be maintained closed
at all times.
For these reasons, the variance requested should
pose no additional risk to public health or the
environment.
If
you
have
any
questions
or
require
more
information
please
contact
me
at
(217) 580-1259.
Sinc
rely,
-
Ci?~q~iz
Quality &
HS Manager
Mattoon Lamp Plant
General Electric Company
cc:
H.
Carl Horneman, GE
Rob Somers, GE
IEPA
FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
November 3, 2003
Illinois EnvironmentalProtection Agency
1021 North
Grand Ave.
East, P.O.
Box
19276, Springfield,
IL 62794-9276 217/782-3397
NEWS
Contact:
Maggie
Carson
217/557-8138
TDD:
217/782-9143
Internet:
www.epa.state.il.us
illinois EPA Grants Provisional Variance to General Electric Company
Allows Additional Storage Time For Specific Hazardous Materials.
Springfield, IIl.—The Illinois EPA
will grant General Electric’s request to allow their
MattoonLamp
Plant to store
drums
ofold flashcubes
and
sand
waste beyond the
regulatory limit of 90 days.
The Mattoon Plant requested a provisional variance from the regulations,
until
November 14, in order to properly analyze, manage and transport seven 55-gallon drums
ofthe hazardous waste.
While removing a concrete slab, GE discovered the flashcubes and sand, which,
based on a laboratory determination, are classified as hazardous waste.
The waste was
placed into the drums and labeled as hazardous waste.
However, GE was not ableto
complete necessary testing and transport ofthe waste within the 90-day regulatory
limitation for storage ofthis waste and asked the Illinois EPA for a provisional variance
from the applicable regulations.
Inthe interim, the drums have been properly stored in the plant’s 90-day
accumulation area and are inspected regularly.
This storage area contains the necessary
safety measures to properly protect human health and the environment.
03-096
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