ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL
BOARD
August
9,
1979
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Complainant,
v.
(;ENERAL1
MOTORS
CORPORATION
a Delaware Corporation,
)
Respondent,
)
PCB 74—475
PCB 75—35
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION,
)
(CONSOLIDATED)
a
Delaware
Corporation,
)
Petitioner,
V.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,
)
Respondent.
ANNE
K.
MARKEY,
ASSISTANT
ATTORNEY
GENERAL,
APPEARED
ON
BEHALF
OF’ COMPLAINANT;
RICHARD
S.
FINN
AND
NORTON
L.
PENNY,
FINN,
VAN
MELL
&
PENNEY,
AN!)
RICHARD
J.
KISSEL, MARTIN, CRAIG CHESTER &
SONNENSCHEIN,
APPEARED
ON
BEHALF
OF
RESPONDENT
GENERAL
MOTORS.
OPINION
AN!)
ORDER
OF
TIlE
ROARD
(by
Mr.
Goodman):
The
matter
before
the
Board
concerns
an
enforcement
ac-
tion against Electro—Motive Division of General Motors Corp.
(Electra—Motive) filed on December 17, 1974
(PCB
74—475) and
General Motors’
subsequent proposed counterclaim filed January
24,
1975.
The counterclaim was accepted by the Board as a per-
mit denial appeal,
docketed as PCB 75—35, and consolidated
with PCB 74-475 for hearing by order of the hearing officer.
The Board, on its own motion, hereby consolidates these cases
for purposes of decision.
The Complaint in PCB 74—475 alleges violation of Rule
103(b)(2) and Section 9(b)
of the Environmental Protection
Act
(Act).
The Complaint also alleges that Electra—Motive
violated Rule 104 and Section 9(a)
of the Act by not following
35—155
—2—
a compliance program while the facility operated
in violation
of Rule 203(g). The permit denial appeal action alleges that
the
action
of
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(Agency)
in denyinq
Electro—Motive’s
permit
appilcation
was
arbitrary
and
capricious.
Hearings
have
been
held,
including
a
public
hearing
on
June
27,
1979.
A Stipulation and Proposal
for
Settlement
was
filed
with
the
Board
on
June
27,
1979.
A
more complete representation of the lengthy procedural
history of this case
is found in the Stipulation.
One outstanding Motion for Modification of an Interim
Order,
filed on November 24, 1976 and stayed by Board Order
on December
2,
1976,
remains
to be ruled upon.
The Board
hereby denies Electro—Motive’s motion for Modification and
affirms the Interim Order of October 14,
1976.
The subject of these proceedings
is Electro—Motive’s
manufacturing plant located in McCook,
Illinois.
At issue
in
this case are three Babcock and Wilcox coal—fired spreader
stoker boilers which are the principal supply of heat and
the sole supply of process steam for the facility.
These
boilers are fully equipped with operating instrumentation
which allow each boiler to perform at the maximum rate of
efficiency and at the
lowest possible emission rates.
On
February
5,
1974,
the Agency denied an application for opera-
ting permits based on its analysis of stack tests which formed
part of the permit application.
The grounds
for refusal were
that the application did not prove compliance with Rule 203
(g)(1)(C).
After submission of the application,
Electro—Motive
learned that clerical errors caused incorrect results.
Sub-
sequent tests demonstrated that Electro—Motive was marginally
in technical violation of Rule 203(g)(1)(C).
In November,
1977 Electro—Motive conducted stack tests
which indicated that the boilers were well within the emission
standards of Rule 203(g)(~)(C).
On the basis of these
tests,
the Agency issued operating permits on February 28,
1978; Electro-Motive
is now in compliance with the Act.
The
parties agree
that their differences had reasonable bases
and that Electro—Motive’s defense had been conducted in good
faith
(Stip.,
pp.
12—13).
The Board finds that
it is
in the best interests of the
People of Illinois that this
litigation come to an end.
Electro—Motive now has operating permits and
is performing
in accordance with the Act.
Because the violation of 2O3(g)
(1)(C) was of a technical nature and did not significantly
interfere with the health,
welfare, and property of the People
of Illinois,
the Board will not assess a penalty.
The Board
accepts the Stipulation which
is hereby incorporated by refer-
ence as if fully set forth herein, and finds Electro-Motive
in violation of Rule 103(b)(2)
and Section
9(b) of the Act.
35—156
—3—
This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclu-
sions
of law of the Board in this matter.
ORDER
It
I
~
t:h~
Order
of
the
Pot
1 ut
ion
Control
Board
that:
1)
Electro—Motive
Division
of
General
Motors
Corporation
is
found
to
have
violated Regulation 103(b)(2) of Chapter
2:
Air
Pollution
Control Regulations and Section 9(b)
of the Environmental Protection Act.
2)
The Interim Order herein of October 14,
1976,
is hereby
affirmed.
I,
Christan L.
Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control
Board, here~ycertify t e abov
Opinion and Order were
adop~,don the
~
day of
_________
____,
1979 by a vote
~~4ThY6L~
Christan
L. Moffet~
erk
Illinois Pollution
o
rol Board
35—157