ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

August L 1974

LAKE WOOD ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING COMPANY,    

)

Petitioner,

vs.

)

PCB 74~~173

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY,           

)

Respondent.               

)

OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD (by Mr. Seaman):

On May 7, 1974, Lakewti~dEngineering and Manufacturing Company filed

its Petition for Variance, seeking therein permission to exceed the

limitations of Rule 205(f) of the Illinois Pollution Control Board

Regulations, Chapter 2, Part II. An Amended Petition was filed on

May 20, 1974.

The Petitioner is a manufacturer and assembler of electric fans,

heaters and lighting fixtures. Approximately 1,800,000 of these items

are manufactured annually at its Chicago facility with a gross sales volume

of approximately $l8,000,000~00. Petitioner employs an average of 350

persons. Integral to this manufacturing process is the painting of products.

This painting function is accomplished through an electrostatic

spray painting operation, The material used is a baked enamel composed of

alkyd and melamine resins and photochemicaily t’eactive solvents. The

solvents currently used are Xylol and BS 150 of which an estimated 19 pounds

per hour is emitted from four (4) spray booths and 40 pounds per hour from

the bake oven. Petitioner does not have any control equipment for organic

emissions from its spray paint operation or drying oven. The spray paint

operation does have control for particulates.

Petitioner received an operating permit, #03100096, for its spray

painting operations on November 7, 1973. The permit expired March 31, 1974.

The Agency has refused to issue a new permit on the ground that the facility

was not in compliance with Rule 205(f).

Petitioner proposes to comply with Rule 205(f) by using exempt solvents.

However, Petitioner claims these solvents are not commercially available

at the present time. Petitioner expects to be able to acquire such solvents

within six months to one year.

Agency investigators during their inspection of Petitioner~sfacilities

detected organic solvent odors within the plant and light odors outside the

plant area. Persons who worked in the area stated they had experienced no

odor problems.

Petitioner~s facility is located in an industrial/commercial area at

13 —265

2121

~NorthCarpenter, Chicago, Cook County, 

Illinois.

The Agency has

received no citizen complaints or objections to the granting of this

Variance.

Petitioner has submitted two letters from its supplier to the effect

that exempt solvents cannot be presently acquired due to current shortages

in the market. Petitioner asserts that denial of the variance would

impose undue hardship in itself, its employees and its customers, especially

retail chains.

In view of the current shortage of non-photochemically reactive solvents

we are disposed to grant the variance requested for a period of six months,

subject to certain conditions.

This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions of law

of the Board.

IT IS

THE ORDER of the 

Pollution Control Board that Petitioner be

granted a variance from the provisions

of

Rule 205(f) of the Air Pollution

Control Regualtions for a period of six months from the date of this Order,

subject to the following conditions:

1. Petitioner shall utilize as much exempt solvent formulations

as can be furnished by its suppliers.

2. Petitioner shall submit monthly reports to:

Environmental Protection Agency

Division of Air Pollution Control

Control Program Coordinator

2200 Churchill Road

Springfield, Illinois 62706

The monthly reports shall include the total amount of solvents used, the nature

and amount of non-exempt solvents used, the nature and amount of exempt

solvents used, the amount and nature of exempt solvents purchased (indicating

the supplier), the amount and nature of non-exempt solvents purchased

(indicating the supplier), and the amount and nature of solvents in inventory

at the beginning of each month.

3, Within 3 months of the date of this Order, Petitioner shall submit

to the Agency a modified compliance plan to replace that which has been

nullified by shortages. This plan may:

i. Achieve compliance at the expiration of’ the

Variance by replacement of photochemic~lly

reactive solvents with non-reactive solvents

demonstrated to be readily available; or

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266

ii. Achieve compliance at the expiration of the

Variance by qualification under the Alternative

Standard of Rule 2O5(f)(l); or

iii. Achieve compliance by May 30, 1975, under the

provisions of Rule 2O4(f)(2)(D).

I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Con,~ol Board,

daycertifyof 

that the above

1974Opinionby aandvoteOrderof 

was adopted on this 

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267