ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD

April

4,

1972

GULF, MOBILE

AND

OHIO

RAILROAD COMPANY

v.

)

PCB 72—116

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

)

OPINION OF THE BOARD

(by Mr.

Kissel):

The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company

(“GM&O”)

filed

a petition for a variance with the Pollution Control Board on

March

27, 1972.

The GM&O operates

a shop area of approximately

forty buildings in Bloomington,

Illinois;

four coal—fired steam

boilers on the premises are primarily used

f-or heating these

buildings.

The Agency has informed the GM&O that its emissions

from these boilers exceed the maximum allowable Illinois standard.

At present,

the GM&O has no collection apparatus on the boilers.

The GM&O seeks a one—year variance from the Board in order

to study the various alternatives, e.g. shutdown, installation of

a precipitator, conversion to

an alternate fuel source or to an

alternate heating method,

available to it before it conclusively

decides on its future course of action.

The GM&O contends that

it needs a year’s time

in order

to survey the plant, the power

equipment,

and the piping and heating system.

Further, from May

to October, emissions are reduced by approximately 60

due to a

reduced

need

for

heat

in

the

various

buildings.

As

this

Board

has

previously

stated,

as

a

matter

of

policy

it does not favor the granting of any variance.~without some

definite assurance that the emissions will be controlled by avail-

able pollution control devices as soon as possible.

(See Mt.

Carmel Utility Company

V.

EPA,

PCB

71-15).

The particulate regu-

lation which applies to GM&O’s coal-fired boilers has been in

effect since 1967.

Under that standard, the maximum allowable

emission standard in this State, even given optimum stack height,

is 0.8 pounds of particulate matter per million Btu*

~-

one third

of GM&O’s present rate of particulate emissions.

(See Rules and

*

Petitioner should also examine the Board’s Air Quality

Standards,

R71—23,

to be adopted this month, which may subject

their operation to a more stringent standard.

4—

165

---

Regulations Governing the Control of Air Pollution 2-2.53).

The

time for study of this

problem has long since passed for

this

netitioner.

There is no question but

that the technology

for con-

trolling such emissions is,

and has long been,

available.

A

definite program,

not vague promises

to conduct a

“study”,

is

mandatory.

The petition is hereby dismissed.

I,

Christan

L. Moffett,

Clerk of the Pollution Control Board,

ce~tifvthat the Board adopted

the above Opinion and Order this

~

day of April,

1972,

by

a vote

of

0

‘~2I~

4

—

166