ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
April
25,
1974
)
MONSANTO COMPANY
)
)
PCB 74-57
)
)
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
)
)
)
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Dumelle):
Monsanto filed a Petition for Variance from the Air Pollution
Regulations
on February 4,
1974.
The Agency filed
a Recommendation
to grant
the variance subject
to certain conditions
on March
13,
1974.
No hearing was held.
Monsanto operates an industrial
chemical plant
located in Sauget,
St. Clair County,
Illinois, where
it produces
4-nitrodiphenylamine
(4-NDPA) which
is
a raw material
used
in the manufacture of rubber chemicals.
Monsanto requests
a variance until April
30,
1974 from Rule
206(c)
of the Air Pollution
Regulations which pertains to carbon monoxide emissions.
The
compliance date of Rule
206(c) was December 31,
1973.
Monsanto
states that it will have installed equipment and achieve compliance
with Rule 206(c)
by April
30,
1974.
Monsanto previously requested
a variance from Rule
206(g) (2)
of the Air Regulations for this same discharge of
carbon monoxide.
The
Board
denied
without
prejudice
this
previous
request
on
1)ecembcr
20,
1973
in
Monsanto
Company
v.
EPA,
PCI3
73-413,
because
Monsanto
failed
to provide
the Board with the quantity and environmental
impact of its carbon monoxide emission.
Monsanto states that it has “agreed to follow the interpretation
applied
by
the
Agency
and
to
treat
emissions
from
(their)
process
as
if
they
were
being
emitted
by petroleum or petrochemical processes
covered
by
Rule
206(c)’t
(Monsanto’s
Variance Petition, page
3).
Monsanto has provided the Board with the information necessary to
properly grant
a variance.
Monsanto’s emission of carbon monoxide
averages 176 pounds per hour
arid
is discharged from an 88-foot
stack.
Monsanto’s
plant
is
located
in
aa
industrial
area,
with
the
nearest resident approximately 500 feet from the 4-NPDA facility.
Monsanto
calculated
that
the
ambient
air
quality
concentration
at
a
point
on
the
ground,
five
hundred
feet
down
wind
from
the
12
—
166
-2-
stack, would be approximately
1 ppm (hourly average).
The
Agency agrees with this
calculation.
The national and Illinois
one-hour standard
is
35 ppm and the maximum eight hour concen-
tration
is
9 ppm, not to be exceeded more than once per year.
Both
Monsanto
and
the
Agency
state
there
have
been
no
complaints
regarding
the
facility
and
Monsanto’s
plant
is
located
in
a
highly
industrial
area
vith
no
other
known
major
stationary
sources
of
CO
nearby.
However,
CO
is
odorless
and
not
detectable
without
instruments.
Monsanto
is
disposing
of
the
waste
carbon
monoxide
by
incinerating
it
in
a
gas-fired
boiler.
Orders
were
placed
in
jUflO,
1073 for
a flame arrestor to prevent flashbacks
from the
boilers
into
the
4-NPI)A
process.
The
Agency
approved
operating
and
construction
permits
in
July,
1973.
Monsanto
began
construc-
tion
of
the
project
in
September,
1974,
Due
to
equipment
delays
Monsanto
was
unable
to
install
the
equipment
necessary
to complete
the
project
in
order
to
come
into
compliance
with
Rule
206
by
December
31,
1973.
Because
Monsanto
has
proceeded
in
good
faith
to
achieve
compli
axice
with
Rule
206 Ic)
of
the
Air
Pollution
Regulations
and
the
minimal
degree
of
environmental
degradation,
the
Board
has
decided
to
grant
the
requested
variance
subject
to
the
conditions
recommended
by
the
Agency.
This
Opinion
constitutes
the
Board’s
findings
of facts and
conclusions
of
law.
ORDER
The
Board
hereby
grants
Monsanto
Company
a
variance from
Rule
206(c)
until
April
30,
1974
subject
to
the
following conditions:
1.
Monsanto
shall
report to the Agency upon completion of the
incinerator;
2~
Monsanto
shall
stack
test
the
incinerator
to
insure
compliance
with
Rule
206(c).
Such
tests
shall
be
performed
with
Agency
representatives
notified
in
advance
and
within
30
days
after
April
30,
1974,
A
coav
of
the
stack
test
report
shall
be
forwarded
to
the
Agency
within
30
days
of
the
completion
of
the
test.
IT
IS
SO
ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffert,
Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board,
hereby
certify
the
above
Opinion
and
Order were adopted on
the
~~1
day
of
April,
1974
by
a
vote
of
~
~‘~oTTett,~
Illinois
Pollution
Cou~ol
Board