ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
    February 28,
    1991
    IN THE MATTER OF:
    )
    PETITION OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY
    )
    AS 91-2
    FOR ADJUSTED STANDARD FROM
    )
    (Adjusted Standard)
    35
    ILL. ADM. CODE S215.204(a)(1)
    ORDER OF THE BOARD
    (by J.
    C. Marlin):
    This matter comes before the Board upon two February
    27,
    1991 filings made by Ford Motor Company.
    The first
    is
    a petition
    for adjusted standard from
    35
    Ill. Adm. Code 215.204(a)(l) from
    the emission limitations for volatile organic compounds
    (VOC)
    for
    prime surfacer coat applications,
    as that rule applies
    to the
    guide coating process at Ford’s Chicago assembly plant.
    The second filing
    is a motion for expedited consideration
    and expedited hearing.
    In that motion, Ford recites that
    material prejudice would result
    if the Board does not act on this
    matter today and adopt an Order establishing an accelerated
    hearing,
    comment and decision schedule containing
    the dates
    proposed by Ford.
    Ford asserts that:
    “In order
    to comply with the recently
    promulgated Federal Implementation Plan
    (“FIP”), by July
    1,
    1991 Ford must obtain the
    requested adjusted standard,
    in the form of
    a
    SIP revision, and must obtain the approval of
    the United States Environmental Protection
    Agency
    (“tJ.S.EPA”)
    for the SIP revision, and
    must complete its compliance demonstration
    with satisfactory results.
    Ford expects that
    obtaining U.S. EPA’s approval will require at
    least 60 days
    in and of itself,
    even though
    U.S. EPA has indicated that
    it
    will consider
    any SIP revision obtained by Ford for
    “expedited final approval.”
    Thus,
    for Ford
    to
    meet the July 1 deadline,
    it
    must submit its
    SIP revision to U.S. EPA in time for
    first
    publication
    in the Federal Register on or
    before May
    2, 1991.
    119—119
    —2--
    Ford suggests the following timetable:
    DATE
    EVENT
    February 27,
    1991
    Ford files
    its petition
    February 28,
    1991
    Petition accepted for hearing
    March
    5,
    1991
    Notice of hearing
    Before March 13,
    1991
    Ford publishes notice of filing
    March 29,
    1991
    IEPA responds to petition
    April
    4, 1991
    Hearing in Cook County
    April 18,
    1991
    Comments close
    April
    25, 1991
    Adjusted standard granted
    April
    26, 1991
    SIP revision to U.S. EPA
    As
    it
    is the Board’s custom to accede to requests
    for
    expedited consideration to the extent practicable, this matter
    was placed on the Board’s agenda for consideration despite its
    receipt
    very late
    in the afternoon on the day before a Board
    meeting.
    (See 35
    Ill.
    Adm. Code 101.181, providing that documents
    must be received
    2 days before a scheduled Board meeting
    to
    insure placement on the agenda for that meeting.)
    The Board
    notes
    that Ford’s motion
    is conspicuously silent as to why
    it is
    so tardy
    in making its relief
    request to the Board, given
    that
    the FIP was promulgated
    a full eight months ago, on June 29,
    1990
    (55 FR 28814).
    The Board further notes
    that, after Ford’s eight
    month delay, Ford’s proposed hearing and decision timetable
    allows the Board a “generous” one week period after close of
    the
    record in which to draft and reach a decision,
    in order
    to allow
    USEPA
    a full 60 days
    in which to determine approvability of any
    adjusted standard as a SIP revision.
    Finally, the Board also
    notes that Ford’s request
    for an immediate hearing has been made
    at a time when, due to a fiscal shortfall,
    the Board is
    involved
    in the painful process of deferring some hearings, and
    prioritizing others, as funds are presently insufficient to allow
    hearings to be held in all pending cases.
    While the Board
    is
    continuing
    its efforts to secure additional monies, whether and
    when such efforts may prove fruitful is unknown.
    Under these circumstances, the Board could justifiably find
    that any prejudice to Ford is self imposed and deny its
    request.
    However, in consideration of the approximately 2,800
    people employed at Ford’s Chicago plant,
    the Board will grant the
    request
    to expedite hearing and decision.
    In so doing,
    the Board
    makes no commitment
    to adhere to Ford’s proposed timetable,
    although it will be guided by Ford’s suggestions consistent with
    the Board’s workload and resource constraints.
    IT IS SO ORDERED.
    119—120
    —3—
    I, Dorothy M.
    Gunn, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
    Board, hereby certify
    hat the above Order was adopted on
    the
    ~71
    day of
    ~
    ,
    1991, by a vote of
    _____
    a~
    ~.
    _
    Dorothy M.flunn, Clerk
    Illinois P~11utionControl Board
    119—121

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