ILLINOIS POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD
September 16, 2008
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,
Complainant,
v.
BEHR IRON & STEEL, INC., an Illinois
corporation,
Respondent.
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PCB 09-13
(Enforcement - Air)
ORDER OF THE BOARD (by G.T. Girard):
On September 5, 2008, the Office of the Attorney General, on behalf of the People of the
State of Illinois (People), filed a five-count complaint against Behr Iron & Steel, Inc. (Behr Iron).
The complaint concerns Behr Iron’s scrap metal processing facility located at 208 Quaker Road
in Rockford, Winnebago County. The parties now seek to settle without a hearing. For the
reasons below, the Board accepts the complaint as meeting the applicable content requirements
of the Board’s procedural rules.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 103.204. The Board further directs the
Clerk to provide public notice of the parties’ stipulation, proposed settlement, and request for
relief from the hearing requirement.
Under the Environmental Protection Act (Act) (415 ILCS 5 (2006)), the Attorney
General and the State’s Attorneys may bring actions before the Board to enforce Illinois’
environmental requirements on behalf of the People.
See
415 ILCS 5/31 (2006); 35 Ill. Adm.
Code 103. In this case, the People allege that Behr Iron violated Sections 9(a), 9(b), and
9.1(d)(1) of the Act (415 ILCS 5/9(a), 9(b), 9.1(d)(1) (2006)), Sections 201.142, 201.143, and
201.302 of the Board’s air pollution regulations (35 Ill. Adm. Code 201.142, 201.143, 201.302),
and Sections 63.1501(b), 63.1511(a), 63.1511(b), and 63.1515(b) of the National Emissions
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) for secondary aluminum production (40
C.F.R. §§ 63.1501(a), 63.1511(a), 63.1511(b), 63.1515(b)).
1
The People further allege that Behr
Iron violated these provisions by (1) failing to obtain a construction permit from the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency (Agency) prior to constructing emission sources and air
pollution control equipment; (2) failing to obtain an operating permit from the Agency prior to
operating emission sources and air pollution control equipment; (3) failing to timely submit
complete and accurate annual emission reports (AERs) to the Agency; (4) failing to submit a
1
The NESHAP for secondary aluminum production (40 C.F.R. Part 63, Subpart RRR) was
promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under Section 112 of the
federal Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. § 7412). Section 9.1(d)(1) of the Act prohibits anyone
from violating any federal regulation adopted under Section 112 of the CAA. Consequently, any
violation of the secondary aluminum production NESHAP is also a violation of Section 9.1(d)(1)
of the Act.
See
415 ILCS 5/9.1(d) (2006).
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site-specific test plan and conduct performance testing by the deadlines established in the
NESHAP for secondary aluminum production; and (5) failing to submit a notification of
compliance status report to the Agency.
On September 5, 2008, the People and Behr Iron also filed a stipulation and proposed
settlement, accompanied by a request for relief from the hearing requirement of Section 31(c)(1)
of the Act (415 ILCS 5/31(c)(1) (2006)). This filing is authorized by Section 31(c)(2) of the Act
(415 ILCS 5/31(c)(2) (2006)), which requires that the public have an opportunity to request a
hearing whenever the State and a respondent propose settling an enforcement action without a
public hearing.
See
35 Ill. Adm. Code 103.300(a). Under the proposed stipulation, Behr Iron
does not admit the alleged violations but agrees to pay a civil penalty of $10,000.
Unless the Board determines that a hearing is needed, the Board must cause notice of the
stipulation, proposed settlement, and request for relief from the hearing requirement. Any person
may file a written demand for hearing within 21 days after receiving the notice. If anyone timely
files a written demand for hearing, the Board will deny the parties’ request for relief and hold a
hearing.
See
415 ILCS 5/31(c)(2) (2006); 35 Ill. Adm. Code 103.300(b), (c). The Board directs
the Clerk to provide the required notice.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
I, John Therriault, Assistant Clerk of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, certify that the
Board adopted the above order on September 16, 2008, by a vote of 4-0.
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John Therriault, Assistant Clerk
Illinois Pollution Control Board