ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL
BOARD
August 1, 1974
)
)
COWIONWEALTH
EDISON
COMPANY
)
)
)
V.
PCB 74-11
)
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
)
)
DISSENTING OPINION (by Mr. Dumelle):
My reason for dissenting in this case is that
I believe that
Commonwealth Edison Company has not carried its burden of evalua-
ting environmentdl hazards caused by its operation of the Waukegan
Power Plant.
The precedessor variance, PCB 73-40, was granted on. October 4,
1973 to run until April 4~1974.
On April 14, 1974 the Board
granted an interim, variance until May 29, 1974 in this proceeding.
On May 29, 1974 a second interim variance was granted until
August 4,
1974.
The majority decision of this day
extends the
variance for a third time until October 4, 1974.
The order in PCB 73-40 clearly requires that Edison establish
a 9-station network of particulate and SO2 monitoring stations
(Par.
3).
In particular the order states “Daily data is to be
furnished to the Agency”.
The November 294 1973 supplemental
order retained the requirement for daily data to be furnished
to the Agency.
The supplemental order goes on to state
Once the network of monitoring stations has been
placed in service, the limitation on the operation
of the Waukegan station herein specified shall be
suspended to allow the accumulation of relevant
data to enable the Board to better evaluate
the ictual effects of Waukegan Station emissions
on ambient air quality.
The intent of these orders ‘is quite clear especially when read
with my October 4, 1973 opinion in PCB 73-40 and PCB 72-491.
Severe health hazards were found to exist by the Board because
of both SO
and particulate projected levels.
The intent was
to gather &aily data on ‘both SO, and particulate and evaluate
the health hazard by actual ‘meflurement.
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Edison has not furnished a scrap of data on particulate
measurements even though its network has been operative since
April 17,
1974.
The Edison petition,
filed two months later,
on
July 22,
1974, provides ambient SO2 data
(Ex, D) but states
“Particulate and meteorological data is not yet available”.
Beyond this nothing else appears
in the record,
High~volume
air samplers, evidently used in this network, operate for 24~hours
with a pre~-weighedfilter,
After operating,
they are turned off
and the filter removed,
All that remains
is to stabilize the
filter to
a uniform humidity and then re~weigh, Thus there
seems to be no reason why particulate data from April
17
to July 17, inclusive, could not have 6een provided.
Ninety
days of data from nine stations would be far better than no
data from any station,
The Illinois Environmentai Protection Agency did not go
on record in the instant interim variance extension,
It has
the initial burden of ensuring adherence
to Board orders but
made no comment on the failure of Edison to comply.
The majority order
(pp. 5~6)expresses “grave doubts”
about granting this interim variance,
I would have rejected
the Waukegan interim variance and granted the portion dealing
with the Sabrooke plant,
Board orders are written to be obeyed,
And where public health
is the reason for
the order,
compliance
ought to be insisted upon.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution
Control Board, hereby certify the above Dissenting Opinion was
submitted on the ~day
of
1974,
Illinois Pollution
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