ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
December 20, 1973
IN T~iEMATTER OF:
PROPOSED MODIFICATION OF
)
R-73-6
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
REGULATION 205
(b)
(1)
OPINION AND ORDER OF THE BOARD
(by Mr. Marder)
On
April 13, 1972, the Pollution Control Board adopted a
comprehensive scheme of emission standards for air contaminants;
this was docketed R 71-23.
Included in these regulations was Rule
205
(b)
(1)
which states as follows:
“No person shall cause or allow the discharge of
more than 8 pounds per hour of organic material in-
to the atmosphere during the loading of any organic
material from the aggregate loading pipes of any
loading facility having a throughput of greater than
40,000 gallons per day into any railroad tank car,
tank truck, or trailer, unless each such loading
pipe is equipped with air pollution control equip—
ment capable of reducing by
85
or more the uncon-
trolled organic material that would be otherwise
emitted to the atmosphere if splash loading were
employed.”
The compliance date for this regulation is December 31,
1973.
On March 26, 1973,
the Illinois Petroleum Council,
a trade
association of integrated oil companies,
filed a petition asking
for modification of this regulation.
The proposed regulation
would recognize submerged
loading pipes as
an acceptable pollution
abatement method when loading organic material.
On May 11,
1973, the Agency filed a letter outlining its
reasons for recommending adoption of the proposal.
The essence
of the letter is that the best data available show that submerged
pipe loading will comply with the intent of the regulation by
reducing emissions by 85
over splash loading.
Two hearings were held on this matter, the first on June 6,
1973,
in Chicago, and the second on July 23, 1973,
in Springfield.
Two
main
points
seemed
to
ring
clear
during
both
hearings.
1)
The
regulation
is
somewhat ambiguous, part-
ially because of the use of the term “splash
loading” which has a negative definition.
10
—485
—2—
2)
The intent of the regulation may very
well have been to allow submerged pipe
loading as an acceptable pollution con-
trol
device.
The Illinois Petroleum Council has made a strong case in its
behalf, and as mentioned because the Agency is in agreement no re-
buttal was offered.
It would seem that the object of all parties
concerned is to get a clear definition of the regulation.
The Illinois Petroleum Council contends that a total expendi-
ture of $18,300,000 would be needed to install vapor recovery sys-
tems
on all existing terminals in Illinois.
Based on a standard
terminal
(R.
21)
the Illinois Petroleum Council anticipated a net
operating loss of $22,886.50 per standard terminal.
This point re-
quires some thought.
Although we may concede that the imposition
of vapor recovery systems will result in an operating loss,
it is
the first responsibility of the Board to maintain an environment
which meets the air quality standards and which affords citizens a
high degree of protection from nuisances.
The fact that pollution
control devices
do not “pay for themselves”
from a corporate view-
point does not necessarily mean that they will not more than pay
for themselves on an environmental basis.
In regards to vapor recovery systems, perhaps the main point
is that very few
(R. 11, 7/23/73)
such units are in operation to-
day.
Perhaps even more significant
is that manufacturers are not
willing to guarantee that these units would meet the 85
criteria
during
all’ t~mperatureextremes encountered in Illinois
(R.
20,
7/23/73)
Evidence was presented
(R.
26,
6/25/73)
that by using American
Petroleum Institute Bulletin 2514
(Pet. ex.
4)
a loss reduction of
about 88
can be accomplished by submerged pipe loading.
The Illinois Petroleum Council has by exhibits shown that much
of the testimony given during the hearings on R-71-23
(Emission
Standards)
supported submerged pipe loading.
1)
(Pet.
ex.
7a)
Statement by Mr.
C.J.
Pardee..
.
“testimony was presented by
Continental Oil Co. concerning its re-
search on the effectiveness of sub-
merged fill pipe loading in the re-
duction of air emissions from organic
material.
This research indicates
that by the use of submerged fill
pipes
the addition of such a device
not only will reduce air emissions
from 85 to
95 percent of total em-
issions from the tank...”
10—486
—3—
2)
(Pet.
ex.
7b)
Statement by Mr.
H.
E.
Hesketh:
“.
-
.the reducing of the emiss-
ions by
85 percent,
in my opinion, can be
achieved by bottom-type loading.”
3)
(Pet.
ex.
7
cJ)
Statement by Mr.
R.
H.
Bruggink of Clark Oil Co.:
“We urge the
Board to consider the alternatives and the
cost/benefit relationship to specify sub-
merged pipe filling or the equivalent as
alternatives to be used for Rule 205
(b)
(1)
.“
The above statements are not grounds for an amendment but
merely reflect the feeling of industry at the time.
The intent of the use of submerged pipe loading is alluded to
when one looks at the opinion written by Mr. Currie,
“In the Matter
of Emission Standards” on April 13, 1972,
page 40:
“Other significant sources of offensive or-
ganic emissions are facilities
for the load-
ing of gasoline and other products, and for
the separation of hydrocarbons from water.
Rules
205
(b)
and
(c)
require such established
good practices as submerged loading pipes,
gas—
tight connections for tank-truck loading,
and enclosed separators with appropriate con-
trols.1’
(Emphasis added.)
The following points review how the Illinois Petroleum Coun-
cil has arrived at an
88 percent reduction figure.
1.
There
is no accurate
way
of
measuring
actual losses due to splash loading
(R.
6,
6/25/73),
and therefore it is almost
impossible
to calculate
a 100 percent
starting point from which an
85 percent
reduction can be calculated.
2.
Splash loading losses can be considered
as made up of three separate losses:
a)
Displacement
b)
Evaporation
c)
Entrainment
3.
Entrainment losses by definition are elim-
inated by bottom filling.
10
—
487
—4—
4.
The American Petroleum Institute Bulletin
2514
(R.
26, 6/25/73)
states that entrain-
ment losses may be three times evaporation
losses.
Also data show that evaporative
1osses are significantly less for submerged
~ading than splash loading.
5.
Using these facts
the Illinois Petroleum
Council has calculated
(Pet.
ex.
2)
that
the percent reduction of emissions by us-
ing submerged fill pipes over splash load-
ing would be abOut 88 percent.
On the basis of the above evidence the Board must agree that sub-
merged pipe loading will indeed meet the
85 percent reduction criteria
intended by Regulation 205
(b)
(1).
During the comment period the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency reported that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency has
published a supplement to its AP-42 Emission Factor text.
Using the
new factors the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency calculates
emission control of 67
rather than the aforementioned 80
to 90.
The Agency indicated that upon verification of the above calculations,
the Board will be notified.
Having received no such notification, the
Board will rule on the best firm information it has
at its disposal.
Again the Board feels that submerged pipe loading
is
an efficient
method of dealing with the problem.
It is a simple method, one
which we can be relatively confident will be used by plant personnel.
One of our major considerations
is that pollution control equipment
should be usable.
Many control devices, although technically sound,
are so besieged with mechanical difficulties that plant operating per-
sonnel shove them to the side,
and they suffer the possibility of be-
coming mere window dressing.
This should not be the case with sub-
merged pipe loading.
This Opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions
of law of the Board.
ORDER
IT IS
THE ORDER of the Illinois Pollution Control Board that
Rule 205
(b)
(1)
of the Air Pollution Regulations shall be changed
from its present wording to read as follows:
“No person shall
cause or allow the discharge
of more than
8 pounds per hour of organic mat-
erial into the atmosphere during the loading
of any organic material from the aggregate
loading pipes of any loading facility having a
throughput of greater than 40,000 gallons per
day into any railroad tank car, tank truck or
10— 48~
—5—
trailer unless such loading facility is
equipped with submerged loading pipes or
a device that is equally effective in
controlling emissions and is approved by
the Agency according to the provisions of
Part
I of this Chapter.”
IT
IS SO ORDERED.
I, Christan L. Moffett, Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control
Board, hereby certify that the above Opinion and Order was
adopted on the’20th day of December,
1973 by a vote of 5-0.
Qs~ifl,~L~~
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489