ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
November 21,
1991
IN THE MATTER OF:
TOXIC AIR CONTAMINANTS LIST
)
R90-1(A)
(35 Ill.Adm. Code 232)
)
R90—1(C)
(Rulemaking)
ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by 3.C. Marlin):
This matter is before the Board on a Motion to Sever Subpart
D of Second First Notice Proposed Rule filed by the Illinois
Environi~entalRegulatory Group
(“IERG”) on November 6,
1991.
The
Motion concerns the Board’s second first notice proposal of the
Air Toxics List,
R90-1, published in the Illinois Register on
October 10,
1991.
The public comment period of 45 days following
publication expires December
2,
1991.
On November,
11,
1991 the
Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Coalition for Consumer
Rights and the Chicago Lung Association filed a response
to. the
motion.
The Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources
filed comments concerning the motion on November 15,
1991.
The motion requests the Board to sever the reporting
requirements for existing sources found in Subpart D of the
second first notice publication and place such rules
in a
separate docket.
Thereafter,
IERG requests that the Board make a
determination that an economic impact statement (“EcIS”)
should
be prepared in the new docket.
IERG contends that Subpart D,
as proposed by the Board, goes
beyond the promulgation of a list of toxic air contaminants and
thus is outside the scope of the EcIS exemption contained in
Section 9.5(c)
of the Act.
Section 9.5(c),
IERG argues,
exempts
only the rulemaking proceeding to promulgate this list from the
EcIS requirement.
Rather,
IERG argues, the list is,
as the Board
put it in its Opinion in R90-l of September 26,
1991, a
“precursor of the control phase.”
Because subpart D of the
proposed rule is not part of a list and not subject to the EcIS
exemption,
IERG argues that the Board must determine whether an
EcIS shou~ldbe performed as mandated by Section 27(a)
of the Act.
IERG submits that should an EcIS determination be made, the
lack of economic information in the record will necessitate
preparation of an economic impact statement.
The Board,
in its
September 26,
1991 Second First Notice Opinion and Order noted
that under the present permitting rules the nature and type of
information the Board wished to see reported was already
required.
The proposal reinforced these regulations by making
them part of the air toxics rules as well.
The Board’s Opinion and Order also noted that similar
information would be required under The Clean Air Act Amendment
as well.
IERG disagreed
ttthat the current practices and
projected requirements pursuant to the Clean Air Act Amendments
will in any way approach the rigor of the absolute reporting
requirements proposed by the Board under Subpart D.”
IERG states
that it will explain the difference at hearing.
127~297
2
IERG also submits that had the current proposal in Subpart D
been under prior consideration by the Board,
IERG would have
presented detailed information on both the costs of reporting and
the technical feasibility,
or infeasibility, of such reporting.
IERG stated that it intended to present such information to the
Board at any future hearing on Subpart D.
IERG submitted that
such substantive reporting requirements would impose a “high
cost” and in some cases be technically impossible.
The Board quotes from its Opinion of September 26,
1991
regarding its reasoning in proposing this requirement:
Industry’s concern about reporting requirements is
cost.
The Board notes that current permitting
regulations require certain information to be submitted
by applicants for construction and operation permits.
A source must identify, as part of informational
requirements for permitting,
“the nature, specific
sources and quantities of controlled and uncontrolled
air contaminants.
See 35111.
Adm. Code 201.152,
201.157.
For purposes of these sections, “air
contaminants”
is defined as “any solid,
liquid or
gaseous matter...capable of being released into the
atmosphere.”
35 Ill. Adm. Code 201.101.
Under these
definitions toxic air contaminants would constitute a
reportable “air contaminant” likewise.
Similarly,
under the new Federal Clean Air Act Amendments,
existing major and area sources which must obtain
permits for defined hazardous air pollutants
(HAPS)
must also submit information regarding their emissions
of these contaminants.
42 USC 7412.
Reporting by
existing sources,
then,
is not so much a question of j~
as it is a question of when the requirement is
satisfied.
At hearing as to the potential costs of such a
reporting requirement.
Industry representatives
testified that reporting would carry associated costs
but did not supply any specifics.
Post-hearing public
comments from industry groups did not contain any new
information which enlightened the Board.
The Board has altered the Agency’s proposed reporting
requirement to include reporting by existing sources at
time of permit renewal.
In parallel with the language
of existing regulations, this reporting includes the
“nature, specific source and quantity” of each TAC.
In
this manner, the information on emissions of toxic air
contaminants by existing sources will be supplied as
current permits are renewed over a five year period.
The Board inserts this as an affirmative requirement
in
these regulations to ensure that the information will
not be omitted in the future.
(Opinion, pp.
10-11)
The Board’s second first notice proposal is also supported
by the response filed by the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra
Club/Coalition for Consumer Right/Chicago Lung Association.
(PC
3
42)
These groups state that they “remain convinced that
reporting of emissions data is essential to establish an
effective toxic air contaminants program”.
They do not oppose
the motion on the belief that the requirement is not essential to
the listing process.
They urge the Board, however, to consider
promulgation of the reporting requirements prior to the Agency’s
submission of the control program.
The Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources’
comments echo the reasoning contained in the Board’s Opinion and
Order of September 26,
1991.
IDENR also concludes that because
the reporting requirements already exist in Agency permitting
regulatipns,
“Subpart D would not impose any economic
burdens.
.
which are not already imposed.”
(PC 43, p.2)
The Board decides today to remove Subpart D from the second
first notice proposal and to place it in separate subdocket.
The
Board opens such docket today, R90-l(C).
The Board believes
removal of the reporting requirement will allow quick adoption of
the toxic air contaminants list while preserving the issue of
reporting by existing sources.
These issues may be addressed in
any hearings held under this subdocket.
The Board takes this
action to clear any remaining procedural impediment to the-lists’
adoption.
No finding is made as to the necessity for an EcIS.
Having considered all of the above, the Board decides today
to give notice that the reporting requirements contained in
Subpart D of the second first notice publication will be removed
at second notice.
The requirements of Subpart D will be removed
to a subdocket, R90-1 (C), which the Board opens today.
Docket B
has been previously reserved for the Agency’s proposal concerning
environmental effects.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
3.
D. Dumelle dissented.
I, Dorothy N. Gunn,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board,
hereby certify that the above
Opin~Lox~
and Order was
adopted on the
_____________
day of ________________________
1991 by a vote of
________________.
C
V
(:7
~orothy
M. dunn,
Clerk
Illinois Pth~lutionControl Board
127—299