ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL

BOARD

February

3,

1972

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE

#71-232

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

MAJOR

 DARWIN

 H. MUELLER,

ON

BEHALF

 OF PETITIONER,

 SCOTT AIR FORCE

BASE

MESSRS. WAYNE GOLOMB and

LARRY

R.

 EATON,

 ON BEHALF OF ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION AGENCY

OPINION OF THE BOARD

 (BY MR. LAWTON):

Scott Air Force Base,

 located

 in the rural area of St. Clair

County,

 approximately seven miles east of Belleville,

is

 the head-

quarters

 of the Military Air Lift Command,

 whose mission is the

support of the aeromedical air

 lift program which transports

air

lift patients

 throughout the United States.

Over the

 last few years,

 the Command has pursued

 a program of

converting all of

 its coal-fired boilers

 to oil—fired boilers.

 Peti-

tion for variance was

 filed, requesting until December

31,

1972

to

continue coal—burning with resulting violation

 of the particulate

regulations,

 in order to convert from coal

 to oil

 two boilers in

Building

 #45,

 the central heating plant,

and

 three additional boilers

located in Buildings #869,

 3191 and

 3670, respectively.

 Both the

petition and the testimony adduced

at

 the hearing indicate that the

boilers

 in Building

 #45 will be converted by March

31,

 1972 and the

remaining three by October

31,

 1972.

 The Environmental Protection

Agency recommends that ~the variance be allowed to March

31,

1972

to

enable conversion of the Building

 #45 boilers and October

31,

1972

to

convert the remaining three boilers.

 The Agency,

 in its recommendation,

states

that

 no smoke violations

 have been noted nor does

 the present

operation

 appear to be causing any nuisance or discomfort

 to residents

in the general area.

 The Military Command is pursuing

 a pollution

abatement program with diligence

 and is proceeding with

 all possible

speed in consideration of the intricacies

 of military fiscal procedures.

While

 the petitioner has asked

for

 the balance of the year

1972

in order to have

 a margin of safety in meeting

 its completion program,

we do not

 feel that this excessive time is warranted.

 See Village of

Wilmette

v.

 Environmental Protection Agency,

 #72—5, dated January 17,

1972.

 If petitioner is inc~pahle of meeting the time schedules without

fault

 on its part,it may petition this Board for

 such modification or ex-

tension of this order

as

 is appropriate. Accordingly,our variance

 allow-

3

—

577

ance will be

 for the period initially proposed for installation con-

sistent with

 the recommendation of the Agency.

 Insistence on immediate

compliance would be unrealistic and impose

 a hardship on petitioner

disproportionate with any benefit resulting to the community.

This opinion constitutes

 the findings

 of fact and conclusions

of law of the Board.

IT IS THE ORDER of

 the Pollution Control Board

 that Scott Air

Force Base be granted

 a variance

 to exceed the particulate limits

set

 forth in the Rules

 and Regulations Governing

 the Control of Air

Pollution pending conversion of the coal-fired boilers to oil—fired

boilers,

 subject

 to the following time schedule:

1.

 Until March

31,

 1972 for the two boilers

located in Building #45;

and

2.

 Until October

31,

 1972 for the boilers

located ip Buildings

 #869,

3191

and

 3670,

respectively.

I,

 Christan Moffett, Clerk of the Pollution Control Board, certify

that the above Opinion was adopted on the

~

 day of February,

1972, by

 a vote of

.$~

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