CLEAN AIR ACT COMPLIANCE! ENFORCEMENT POLICY COMPENDIUM 1996 Volume 4 E-1-G-3 ------- SECTION E NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS (NESHAPS) E ------- 1 SECTION E DOCUMENT 1 ASBESTOS NESHAP Guidance on NESHAP Asbestos Standards 02/25/82 ------- ri I IONAGENCY 4 WASHINGTON, D.C. lOUD / )-, FEB 25 1962. /‘ q OFFICE 01 AIR, NDI AND RADIATION SUBJECT: Guidance on the NESHAP Asbestos FROM: Kathleen M. Bennett Assistant Adxninistra 1 ’ir, Noise and Radiation TO: Directors, Air & Waste Manageutent Divisions Regions I—IV, VI—VIXI, X Directors, Air Management Divisions Regions V andjx The purpose of this memorandum is to offer guidance on two aspects of the NESHAP asbestos standard for which clarification has been requested. The fi.rst aspect_ç ncern& , .the .. app1icabi1ity_ of the standard with regard t s Iã ’ing operations as specified in 40 CFR 61.22(e). The second aspect of_the 4fl ar&Js.s. 1 rtfT âtion of what constitute ’s ’àThituinirtous or, ,resinous binder forertcapsulation of asbestos fibers during spraying operatiort . Since this guidance is in response to two general questions, I would like to emphasize that specific questions concerning spraying operations may still need to be addressed on a case—by—case basis. As this standard requires in 40 CFR S61.22(e): There shall be no visible emissions to the outside air from the spray—on application of materials containing more than 1 percent asbestos, on a dry weight basis, used on equipment and machinery, except Lvhere an air—cleaning procedure (561.23) is to be used]. - The g. ncy .amended_S61.22(e) on .lunel9,..1978 ._(43 FR 26372) to clarify which spraying operations re subject to the standard. Because the Agency originally did not anticipate that any application other than asbestos—containing insulation and fireproof ing wo 9 ld be major sources of asbestos emissions, this revision of th.stBndard was necessary to extend the coverage of the asbestos spraying provisions. T eaaendmentB require, that spraying of all materials which contain more than 1 percent asbestos be subject to the provisions unless the asbestos fibers are encapsulated in a bituminous or resinous binder and are not friable after drying. In responding to comment, the Agency cited exampIes of the bituminous or resinous asbestos—containing coatings; examples are roofing compounds, waterproofing or ------- insulation exposed to weather, automobile undercoatings and industrial maintenance coatings. Except for this exemption of spraying operations using a bituminous or resinous binder, all spraying operations with wore than 1 percent asbestos rnu t comply with 561.22(e). The second aspect of the asbestos standard to be c] erified is what constitutes a bituminous or resinous binder. The r’equest for guidance on this item asked about a list of different encapsulation compounds examined for friability by Dr. Robert Sayers. This list of, compounds is the result of work contracted by the: Office of Toxic Substances for its school study. The compounds were examined fot the purpose of coating walls and ceilings which contain asbestos; this coating would be applied to structural members already in place. They are not used for encapsulation within the meaning of our regulations. The compounds do not contain the asbestos, but instead act as a sealant to cover asbestos where it is already present. If there is question as to whether a product used for encapsulation in the spraying operation is bituminous or resinous the question should be referred to headquarter8 for review. If you have additional questions on the spraying provisions of the asbestos standard, please contact Ann Eastham of my staff at 382—2876. ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 2 ASBESTOS NESHAP Guidance on Determination of Asbestos Content of Friable Materials 06108182 ------- t: 1 7 MtMORANOUM 8 SUBJECT: Guidance on Determination of Asbestos Content of Friab1 Materials Kathleen H. Bennett, Assistant Administrator’ for Air, Noise and Radiation Directors, Air and Waste tianagement Divisions Regions 1—IV, Yl—Vill, X Directors, Air Management Divisions, Regions V and IX The National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) for asbestos covers the operations of spraying, and demolition and renovation with associated waste disposal, If a friable (easily crumbled) material cont.ainlng more than one percent asbestos is processed. The lack of a promulgated method to evaluate the asbestos content of a friable material against this ‘one percent asbestos content test has been Identified as en Impediment to enforcement of the NESHAPS for asbestos. - It Is noted that the Standard Is presently the subject of a complete reevaluation aiming at approxImately October 1984 pro- Mulgation (for additional information contact )ohn Copeland In OAQPS at FTS 629—5595). Although this reevaluation Is incomplete, there Is a likelihood that the revised NESHAPS will Include an explicit methodology for the determination of asbestos content In materials. Until the analytical methodology Is designated by regulation, the asbestos content of materials subject to the ‘one percent asbestos content test’ should be determined by use of the methodology described In the EPA publication, Bulk Sample Analysis for Asbestos Content: Evaluation of the Tentative Method , released by the Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory and Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances In 1982, as EPA Publication, EPA — 600/4—82-021. The basic analytical technique described therein Is a variation 0 f polarized light microscopy which allows for a quantitative .stlmate of the weight percentage of asbestos In a sample. X—Ray diffraction Is suggested but only as a supportlve’ method. While this general approach to asbestos quantification has been recommended for years to EPA enforcement personnel, the referenced document provides an explicit standardization of sample r.parat1on and asbestos quantification. This document, and others r lst ng to asbestos sampling, analysl; and sources of aeasuremeflt v rf bl11ty, are available from the regional asbeste$SoordlnatOt s i’ sóc1ated with the Office of Toxic Substances’ •ffq t O.1dtflt1f1 asbestos In school buildings. ------- — _ — Although the Tnethodology to quantify the asbestos content of saq les is directly transferrable from the school asbestos program to the LSHAPS proçjrain, it should be emphasized that the strategies to locate and sarçle asbestos may be distinct between the prograrig. The school prograr as described in EPA guidance, shesto. Contcining Materials in School Cuildinga, Part 1 , is oriented to ider 4 tiiy asbestos material which is presently friable , whereas co plianc. with the ! ESliAPS requires that sawjiling incl id. materials which are not presently friable but which maybe degraded to.releaee asbestos fibers during the process of renovation or de ôlftion. A thorou jh bacicground documentation of r ethods to locate and sample asbesto. in structures scheduled for demolition or renovation, not. now available, will likely be developed during the co rehenaivc Standard revision, ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 3 Injunctive Relief in Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases 0711 0185 3 ------- fo3 ØtP4i - % UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY _____ WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 J(JI 0 O 5 MEMORANDUM SUB3ECT: Injunctive Relief in Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases FROM: Michael S. Alushin Associate Enforcement Counsel Air Enforcement Division Edward E. Reich, Director Stationary Source Compliance Division TO: Addressees This memorandum sets forth a policy regarding injunctions to enforce the National Emission Standard for Asbestos against demolition and renovation sources. This policy will apply to all pending and future civil actions for violations of these regulations. The asbestos standards, 40 C.F.R. 561.140 et seq. , apply to both the party performing a demolition3r renovation (usually a contractor) and the owner of the subject facility. See the preamble to the repromulgation of the regulations, 49 Fed. Req. 13658, 13659 (April 5, 1984). The asbestos strategy document issued on April 6, 1984 sets forth guidance for determining when to include the facility owner as a defendant in a civil action to enforce these standards. Facility owners should generally be included as members of the regulated community to ensure that they hire qualified contractors to remove asbestos properly. Only where the owner has acted responsibly, for example, by hiring a reputable contractor and attempting to monitor or supervise the contractor’s performance, hou] .d the Agency exercise discretion not to sue the owner. ------- —2-- In almost all civil actions to enforce asbestos regulatLon against demolition and renovation Sources, the action is filed after the violations have occurred.* Injunctions are therefore dir.ctsd at future demolition and renovation activLty. Injunctive relief should be sought against contractors, since they are likely to be handling asbestos again in the ordinary course of business, An in3unction against future violations in a court order or consent decree vests the court with con- tinuing jurisdiction until the termination data of the decree to enforce the NESHAP requirements. The prospect of a contempt action for future violations may serve as a more effective deterrent than would otherwis, exist. Facility owners are situated differently, since they are not ordinarily in the business of asbestos removal. In determining whether to seek an injunction, th. Agency should consider th. potential for future violations during the life of the decree. Injunctions should b. sought against facility owners if the demolition-or renovation which was the subject of the lawsuit is part of an ongoing series of demolition or renovation projects, e.g., a program of asbestos removal from buildings within a school district, or if th. facility owner plans further projects involving triable asbestos. If these factors are not present, an injunction is not necessary. Injunctive relief need not be limited to merely a coxmnand to comply with the regulations. Equitabl, relief should be fashioned to try to prevent, at a minimum, recurrence of the violations alleged in the complaint. If, for example, a defendant gave incomplete notification of a demolition project, the Agency could seek to enjoin that party to use a specific form in sub nitting asbestos notifications. If the facility owner hired as the lowest bidder a contractor unqualified to do asbestos work, we may wish to enjoin the owner to address NESKAP complianc, in all bid specifications for jobs involving asbestos removal. It is not possible to provide comprehensive guidance on the form of injunctive relief to be sought in all cases, but the specifics of an injunction can be worked out among th. litigation team as the case develops. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Elliott Gilberg of the Air Enforcement Division at FTS 382—2864. t lf a civil action is filed for an ongoing violation, injunctive relief should be sought against all defendants, to afford the greatest chance of effectuating immediate compliance. ------- —3— Addressees Regional Counsils Regions I—x Air Management Division Dir.ctors Regions I, III, V, and IX Air and Waste Management Division Directors Regions II and Vt Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, and X Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Director Region IV Regional Enforcement Contacts Regions I—X cc: David Buente, Acting Chief Environmental Enforcement Section Department of Justice ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 4 ASBESTOS NESHAP Procedures for Pre -Referral Settlement of Asbestos Demolition and RenocatiOn Cases NOTE: May still utilize model complaint and consent decree; remainder has been partially superseded by 04113188 memorandum entitled “Process for Conducting Pre -Referral Settlements Negotiations on Civil Judicial Enforcement Cases.” 09/28187 4 ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON D.C. 20460 45 4 11 01 S 2 8 I T MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Procedures for Pre-Referra]. Settlement of Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases FROM; Thomas L. Adams, Jr. \-... Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring J. Craig Potter -J G4 ) Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation TO: See Below We appreciate your active development of asbestos de o1itior and renovation cases for litigation. To reinforce the litigacio- . program, we are establishing procedures designed to expand your options for addressing the large ntber of violating asbestos demolition and renovation Sources. These procedures should enable you, in many instances, to resolve a violation quickly and to obtain a civil penalty without a major commitment of resources. Introduction Sources which violate the National ission Standard for Asbestos require enforcement action by EPA or a delegated State agenry. A large ni ber of federal court actions have been filed against asbestos sources, particularly since the issuance of the asbestos enforcement strategy on April 6, 1984. Nearly one-third of all new Clean Air Act cases referred to the Department of Justice in the last two fiscal years have involved the asbestos regulations. These cases deal almost exclusively with demolitions and renovations, the most prevalent sources of asbestos emissions. Notwithstanding this effort, the vast majority of asbestos demolition and renovation violations inevitably are addressed without judicial enforcement. EPA and delegated State agencies typically find violations at over 1000 sites a year, of whtch ------- —2— about 5% become the subject of judicial. enforcement. The rest are handled through issuance of a finding or notice of violation or an administrative order. Although some State agencies have administrative penalty authority, nearly all of these actions are taken without assessment of any penalties. To help you maintain or increase the high level of judicial. enforcement without placing an undue strain on resources, we hope to facilitate negotiation of a judicial consent decree prior to referral of a matter for filing in court. By adhering to these procedures, you may enter into pre-referra]. negotiations with a high degree of confidence that settlements will be approved by the Assistant Administrator for OECM and the Assistant Attorney General for Land and Natural Resources. tf negotiations are successful, you will be able to refer a “pre-settled” case to the Depar nent of Justice (DOJ) for the simultaneous filing of a complaint and lodging of a consent decree in the appropriate district court. Procedures After selecting a particular matter to try to resolve prior to case referral, you should take the following steps prior to initiating negotiations: 1) Develop a Regional position on a bottom-line civil pene.L:y settlement amount in accordance with the asbestos demolition an renovation civil penalty policy, issued on February 8, 1985. 2) Obtain concurrence in the bottom-line penalty and othe: settlement terms from OECM and DOJ. The Region should forward its recommendation to the Associate Enforcement Counsel in the Air Enforcement Division (AED), as well as to the appropriate Assistant Chief of the Envirot nental Enforcement Section at DOJ. AED will forward a copy of the recommendation to the Stationary Source Compliance Division in accordance with established proce- dures for consultation. The recommendation should include a brief description of the matter, including a discussion of any prior violations and enforcement history, and should be accompanied by a copy of the inspection report and any other doc entation of violations, and a work sheet showing the calculation of the penalty settlement figure. The basis for adjusents of the preliminary deterrence owit (e of benefit and gravity components) must be explained, financial information supporting a penalty reduction biii on ability to pay. AED and the Assistant Chief at DOJ will indicate their concurrence or non-concurrence with the proposed action within 15 working days of receipt of the materials. Once a consensus has been reached, the Region may begin negotiations with the prospec- tive defendants. The Region may fully negotiate a settlement, ------- - —3— subject to final approval, without further consultation with AED and DOJ so long as the negotiated penalty is at least as much as the bottom line which has been established. Reductions in the minimt settlement ount can only be made with the concurrence of AED• and DOJ. If negotiations are successful, please have the prospective defendants execute a consent decree. A model consent decree is attached and may be used as a basis for settlement without con- sultation with OECM or DOJ. Compromises of substantive provisions in the model decree made during the course of negotiations must be cleared with OECN and DOJ. The Region must forward the original decree, once signed by the company, to EPA Headquarters for the signature of the Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring. The Region sho 4d also refer direccty to the Department of Juat ce, with a copy to OECM, an abbreviated litigation report, including a draft complaint, and should indicate that the complaint can be filed upon receipt of the signed consent decree from EPA. A model complaint and an outline of an abbreviated litigation report are attached. The model litigation report is consistent with the “Model Litigation Report Outline and Guidance” (GM-48) January 30, 1986. If a settlement in principle is not reached within 60 days after you initiate negotiations, the Region should develop a referral to DOJ for litigation. In such instance, the Region snould prepare a full litigation report, including a descript .c:. of the contacts between EPA and the prospective defendants. In cases in which some but not all prospective defendants are willing to settle, you should follow the guidance in the asbestos civil penalty policy regarding apportionment of the penalty among multiple defendants. If you successfully negotiate with some parties, a consent decree with those parties should be handled as described above and the matter should be referred to DOJ for litigation against the remaining parties. The success of this effort will depend to a great ext nt on adherence to the civil penalty policy and to the model consent decree. Although the model decree provisions are intended as guidance and not as requirements, the Region should consult with OECM and DOJ about any significant departures from the model provisions before making commitments regarding them. The Region may generally negotiate indeperident]. y of AED and DOJ if it stays within the bounds of the model and the bottom line penalty figure. All consent decrees must still be signed by the AA for OEcN and the Assistant Attorney General, who retain approval authority. Therefore, the Region should continue to make appropriate caveats in their settlement discussions. ------- - -4- We are instituting these procedures on a trial basis. We will reevaluate the progrem in approximately one year and determine if any modifications are needed. Questions regarding this matter should be directed to Elliott Gilberg of the Air Enforcement Division at FTS 382-2817. Attacl ents Addressees: Regional Admtn-istrators Regions I-X Regional Counsels Regions I-X Air and Waste Management Division Director Region. II Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III, and IX Air and Radiation Division Director Region V Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Managen ent Division Directors Regions IV and VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, and X CC: John S. Seitz, Director Stationary Source Compliance Division David Buenre, Chief Envirornnental Enforcement Section Deparent of Justice Sco:t Fulton, Assistant Chief Enviroi ental Enforcement Section Depar .nt of Justice ------- Outline Model Abbreviated Litigation Report Asbestos Demolition/Renovation Cases I. Cover Page A. Region, statute involved (Clean Air Act) , judicial. district B. Name and address of defendants C. Name and address of facility demolished or renovated D. Regional contacts (program/legal) E. Stamp date Region refers ‘eporc It. Table of, Contents III. Description of Case A. Indication chat case has been pre-settled and that complaint should be filed concurrently with Lodging of consent decree B. Brief description of d olished or renovated fac:lit-- and of each defendant, including state of Lncorpor&t c- and principal place of business, agent for service of process, legal counsel (if any), and identity of defen- dants by role, e.g. , owner of facility, primary denol- tion contractor, subcontractor for asbestos removal, etc. C. Identity of other potential defendants who are not parties to consent decree D. Brief description of alleged violations, with citations to inspection report if useful, including dates and durac on of violation E. Reason violations cited in inspection report are not included (if applicable) ------- -2- IV. Statutory Bases of Referral A. Applicable statutes and cross-media coordination (e. , if asbestos waste material, requires cleanup) B. Enforce enc authority; jurisdiction and venue V. Enforcement History of Defendant and Pre-referra]. Negotiations A. Chronology of contacts with defendants regarding violations which are subject of consent decree, including administrative orders and findings of violations B. S mary of pre-referral negotiations C. Contacts with defendant by State or local agencies and actions taken; indication of whether program is delegated t o State and, if so, why EPA is taking enforcement action, e.g. , State request, inadequate State penalty D. Prior Enforcement History of Defendants Discussion of any pr-ior enforcement against any defendant by EPA or delegated State or local agency, if known Indication of sources consulted for information - e.g . CDS, national contractor registry, internal Regional. tracking system VI. Injunctive Relief Summary of injunctive relief provisions in consent decree VII. Civil Penalties Indication of civil penalty provision in consent decree (penalty worksheet should be an attact ent to litigation report) Basis for adjus ents in preliminary deterrence amount (or refer to worksheet if discussed there) VIII. Major Issues Discussion of issues of national or precedential significance ------- —3— IX. Significance of Referral Justification for referral, e.g. , Agency priority, Regional initiative, previous violations by defendant X. Attachments A. Index to attachments B. Draft complaint C. Signed consent decree D. Doc entation of violations - inspection report, etc. E. Settlement penalty worksheet F. Financial information if penalty reduced based on ability to pay ------- UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) ) PLAINTIFF, ) ) v. ) ) AMALGAMATED PROPERTY OWNERS, INC., ) CIVIL ACTION NO. ) and ) ) XYZ DEMOLITION CONTRACTORS, INC., ) ) DEFENDANTS. • ) ______________________________________________________________________________) COt LAINT The United States of America, by and through its undersigned attorneys, by authority of the Attorney Genera]. of the United States and at the request of the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) , alleges as folLc .-: INTRODUCTI ON 1. This is a civil action against Defendants Amalgamacea Property Owners, Inc., and XYZ Demolition Contractors, Inc. for injunctive relief and civil penalties pursuant to Section 113(b) of the Clean Air Act (the “Act”) , 42 U.S.C. S7413(b) , for violatio- s by defendants of the National issions Standards for Hazardous A .r Pollutants (“NESHAP”) for asbestos, promulgated under Sections 112 and 114 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. §57412 and 7414, codified at 40 C.F.R Part 61, Subpart M. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 2. This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §5 1331, 1345, and 1355, and Section 113(b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. §7413(b). ------- -2— 3. Venue is proper in this judicial district under Section 113(b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. §7413(b), because the violations occurred in this district [ and Defendants have their principal places of business in this district.] 4. Notice,of the commencement of this action has been given to the State of Louisiana Department of Enviro enta1 Quality as required by 42 U.S.C.57413(b). DEFENDANTS 5. Defendant Amalgamated Pro erty Owners, Inc., (APO) is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware. APO is authorized to do business in the State of Louisiana. APO owns the facility where the violations took place. 6. Defendant XYZ Demolition Contractors,• Inc. (XYZ) is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Louisiana. Its principal place of business is Shreveport, Louisiana. XYZ is engaged in the business of demolition and renovation of build ngs and demolished the facility where the violations took place. 7. Defendants each were, at all times relevant hereto, an “owner or operator” of a demolition operation as that term is defined in Sections 111(a)(5) and 112(a)(3) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7411(a)(5) and 7412(a)(3), and 40 C.F.R. §61.02 and 61 .141. 8. Each of the Defendants is a “person” within the meaning of Section 302 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7602(e). ------- -3— STATUTORY AND REGULATORY BACKGROUND 9. Section 112(b) of the Act / 2 U.S.C. i7412(b), requires the Administrator of EPA (the “Administrator”) to publish a list of air pollutants that he determines are hazardous (“hazardous air pollutants”) and Co prescribe an ission standard for each such poLli tanC. The .e eni.sion standards are known a. the National issions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (“NESHAP”). 10. Section 114(a) of the Act 42 U.S.C. 17416(a), authorizes the Administrator CO require any person who owns or operates any emission source or who is subject to any provision of the Act to provide thformation to the Administrator for the purpose of determining whether any person Li in violation of the Act or to carry out any provision of the Act. (Appropriate if alleging a notice violation.1 11. Pursuantto Section 112(b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 17412(b)’ the AdministratOr designated asbestos as a hazardous air pollutant and promulgated the asbestos NESHAP. The asbestos NESHAP includes regulations governing the issLon, handling and disposal of asbestos during d olitton and renovation of a bsstos .contathiflg facilities. 12. Pursuant to Sections 112 and 114, the Administrator has promulgated requtrasents that the owner or operator of subject dasolition or renovation operations provide written notice prior to commencing the rk. 13. 40 C.Y.R. 161.141 defines “dssol .itton” as “the wrecking or taking out of any load-supporting structural nasber of a facility together with any related handling operations.” ------- -4- 14. 40 C.F.R §61.145(a) states that 40 C.F.R. §S61.146 and 61.147, apply, with exceptions not relevant to this action, Co each owner or operator of a demolition operation if the ainour t of friable asbestos materials in a facility being demolished is at least 80 linear meters (260 linear feet) on pipes or at least 15 square meters (160 square feet) on othe’r facility components. 15. 40 C.F.R §61.146 requires each owner or operator of a demolition operation where there is the regulated amount of asbestos to provide the Administrator of EPA with written noti- fication of intention to demolish or renovate, setting forth specified information, at least 10 days prior to the commencement of the operation. Timely, complete, and accurate notices of demolition operations permit EPA to conduct efficient, unannounced inspections to ensure that work practice standards to prevent emissions of asbestos are being met. Such notices are particularly important due to the short duration of most demolition operatj -.s. [ Lf EPA has delegated NESHAPS program to State, and if that delegation indicates chat notice is to be given to the State than EPA, add explanatory ij. 16. 40 C.F.R §61.147, in relevant part, requires each owner or operator to comply with certain work practices to prevent emission of particulate asbestos material to the outside air. 17. 40 C.F ,R. §61.152(b) requires each owner or operator to “discharge no visible emissions to the Outside air during the collection, processing (including incineration), packaging, transporting or deposition of any asbestos-containing waste material generated by the source . • .“ 18. Section 112(c) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7412(c) prohibits the emission of any air pollutant to which a NESHAP applies, from any stationary source, in violation of such NESHAP. Noncompliance with a NESHAP is a violation of Section 112(c) of the Act. ------- -5— NESHAPS VIOLATIONS 19. At some time prior to March 17, 1987, Defendant APO hired Defendant XYZ to demolish a scotch tape store located at 1000 Main Street, Plain Dealing, Louisiana (“the facility”). 20. On or about March 17, 1987, Defendants engaged in demolition activities at the facility. Said activities involved the demolition of a building containing friable asbestos material as defined in 40 C.F.R. §61.141. 21. The b xilding being demolished contained a quantity of friable asbestos material in excess of 80 linear meters on pipes or 15 square meters on other facility components, and therefore the operation was subject to the asbestos NESHAP, 40 C.FeR. §61.140 et q. FIRST CLAIM FOR RELIEF 22. Paragraphs 1 through 21 are realleged and incorporated herein by reference. 23. Defendants failed to provide prior written notice of intention to . emolLsh the facility, in violation of 40 CF.R. §61.146 and Sections 112(c) and 114(a)(1)(B) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7412(c) and S7414(a)(1)(3). SECOND CLAIM FOR RELIEF - 24. Paragraphs 1 through 21 are real].eged and incorporated herein by reference. ------- -6- 25. On or about March 17, 1987, Defendants failed to remove friable aabeito materials from the facility before dismantling or wrecking activities began, in violation of 40 C.F,R 161 . 1 47(a) and Section 112(c) and Ce) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 5 7412(c) and (e). THIRD CLAIM FOR RELIEF 26. Paragraphs 1 through 21 are real].eged arid incorporated herein by reference. 27. Defendant, did not ensure that the friable asbestos material remained wet until collected for disposal, in violation of 40 C.F.R. 561.147(e) and Section 112(c) and Ce) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 57412(c) and (e). FOURTH CLAIM FOR RELIEF 28. Paragraphs 1 through 21 are incorporated herein by reference. 29. Defendant. discharged visible smissions to the outside air during the collection, processing, packaging, transporting, or deposition of asbestos.containing waste material generated at the facility. The defendants failed to use one of the disposal methods specified in 40 C.F.R 5152(b) (1), (2), or (3), thereby violating 40 C.F.R. 1152(b) and Section 112(c) and (e) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 57412(c) and (e). RELIEF REQUESTED 30. Section 113(b) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 57413(b) authorizes the Administrator of EPA to co encs a civil action for injunctive relief, or for the assessment of a civil penalty ------- -7— of not more than $25,000 per day of violation, or for both, whenever any person violates Section 112(c), (e), and 114(a)(1)(B) of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 57412(c), (e), and 57414(a)(1)(3). 31. Unless restrained by an Order of this Court, Defendants may continue to violate the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 57401 ec and the asbestos NESMA.P, 40 C.F.R. Part 61, subpart M. WHEREFORE, plaintiff, United States of America, respectfully prays that this Court: a. join each of the de t fendantg from further violations of the Clean Air Act and the aabestos NESHAP, 40 C.F.R. Part 61; b. Assess civil penalties of $25,000 for each day of each violation by each defendant for violations of EPA’s regulations and the Clean Air Act; c. Award plaintiff its costs and disbura ents in this action; and d. Grant such other and further relief as this Court may de just and proper. Respectfully submitted, Assistant Attorney General Land and Natural Resources Division U.S. D.parent of Justice Washington, D.C. 20530 ------- UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA UNiTED STATES OF AMERICA, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) AMALGAMATED PROPERTY OWNERS, ) Civil Action No. ) INC , and ) ) XYZ DEMOLITION CONTRACTORSI ) ) INC., ) r Defendants ) _____________________________________________________). CONSENT DECREE Plaintiff, United States of America, on behalf of the United States Envirorentat Protection Agency (“EPA”), having filed a Complaint alleging violations of the National. ! isston Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (“NESMAP”) for asbestos, codified at 40 C.F.R. 561 .140 et ! • ‘ and the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 57401 at , and requesting permanent injunctive relief and civil penalties; And Defendants having duly filed an Answer denying the claims of the plaintiff; (if appropriate] And Plaintiff and Defendants having agreed that settL ent of this action is in the public interest and that entry of this Consent Decree without further litigation is the most appropriate means of resolving this action, avoiding protracted litigation costs and expenses; ------- -2- And Plaintiff and Defendants having moved this Court Co enter thie ConsencDecr.s, subject to the provisions of 28 C.F.R. S50 ,7; NOW THEREFORE, before the taking of any testimony, upon the pleadings, vithout adjudication of any issue of fact or law, and with no finding or admission of liability against or by Defendants, and upon consent of th. parties to this Consent Decree, it is hereby Ordered, Adjudged, and Decreed as follows: I. JUR.I S DICTION This Court has jurisdiction over th. subject matter of this act ion under 28 U.S.C. 1S1331, 1345, and 1355, and 42 U.S.C. S7413(b) and over the parties consenting to this Consent Decree. Venue is proper in this Court. The Complaint states a claim upon which relief may be granted against Defendants. II. DEFINITIONS AND PARTIES A. “Defendants” shall mean Amalgamated Property Owners, Inc., and XYZ D olirion Contractors, Inc. B. “Plaintiff” shall mean the United States of America and the United States Enviror.ntal Protection Agency. C. Terms used in this Consent Decree which are defined in 42 U.S.C. 57412(a), 42 U.S.C. 17602, 40 C.F.R. 161.02, and 40 C.F.R. 161.141 shall have the meanings contained therein. ------- -3— III. APPLI CAB ILITY A. The undersigned representatives of each party o this Consent Decree certifies that he or she is fully authorized by each party whom he or she represent, to enter into the terms arid conditions of this Decree, and to execute and legally bind that party to it. B. The provisions of this Consent Decree shall apply to and be binding upon the Defendants, as well, as their officers,, directors, agents, servants, employ..., successors, and assigns, and all persons, firm. and corporations having notice of this Consent Decree and who are, or will be, acting pursuant to this Consent Decree, or on behalf of, in concert with or in participa- tion with the Defendant to this action in furtherance of this Decree. C. The provisions of this Consent Decree shall apply to all of Defendant APO’s facilities in all states, territories, and possessions of the United States of America. D. The provisions of this Consent Decree shall apply to all. of Defendant XyZ ’s d o1jtjons or renovation, in all states, territories,and possessions of the United States of America. E. Defendants shall condition any and all contracts for demolition. or renovations subject to this Decree during its effectiv, period on compliance with th. terms of this Decree. ------- -4- Iv. CO WLIANCE PROGRAM A. Defendants shall hereafter comply with the requirements of the National issio Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for asbestos in 40 C.F.R 161.140 et j . Defendant. shall submit written notification for demolition or renovation operations to be postmarked or delivered at least ten (10) days before each demolition or renovation begins if the emount of asbestos is as stated in 40 C.F.R 161.145(a), or at least twenty (20) days before each demolition or renovation begins if the amount of asbestos is as stated in 40 C.F..R. 161.145(b). B. In the case of an emergency renovation as defined in 40 C.F.R. 161.141, Defendants shall provide written notice to the appropriate EPA regional offic. and the appropriate delegated state or local air pollution control agency as early as possible prior to the commencement of any renovation operation involving asbestos. (Optional] C. Defendant XYZ shall, on and after the date of entry of the Consent Decree, implement the office procedures set forth in Attachment 1 to this Consent Decree to ensure compliance with the notice requirements for demolition and renovation operations subject to the asbesto, regulations, and shall use the notificacLon format set forth as Attachments 2 arid 3 to comply with this Consent Decree. (Optional, but suggested if there have been notice violations, See Attachments 1-3 of PC&J decree, attached as Exhibit 3, as aodified,J D. All notifications required by this Consent Decree shall be sent by certified mail or hand delivery to the appropriate EPA Regional office and the appropriate delegated state or local air pollution control agency. Defendants shall maintain records of said notifications together with proof of mailing by certified mail for the duration of this Decree. ------- —5— - E. This Consent Decree in no way affects 1) the Defendant’s responsibility to comply with any State, Federal or local laws or regulation, or any Order by the Court, including Compliance with all applicable NESMAPS requirements; and 2) enforcement of any such NESMAP requirements made applicable by reason of any revision of the Clean Air Act and its implementj regulations. (Optional provision,. Sections i-ut, “Notification” “Asbestos Control Progr ”, and “Asbestos Training Progrem”, attached, are recommended as targets for settlement with concrac.. core where appropriate, such a. multipl. violations or situations in which the contractor has a larg n ber of work. crews and inadequate centralized management of them.] V. CIVIL PENALTY Defendant, shall pay a total civil penalty of $ ( p _ enalcy in accord with penalty policy) . Said payment shall be in full satisfaction of Plaintiff’s claims against defendants for the violation alleged in the Complaint in this action. Payment shall be made by cashier’, or certified check payable to “Treasurer of the United States of America” and tendered within 30 days after final entry of this Decree to the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, (Address]. Defendants shall send a copy of the check to the Office of Regional Counsel (Address), and to the Land and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Deparent of Justice [ Address]. Civil penalty payments under this decree are not tax deductible. (Optional provisions. Section. tV-Vt attached are recommended if it La necessary to provid. for an installment schedule for payment of civil, penalties. An installment approach is appropriate only if defendants demonstrate chat a l p si. payment is financially infeasible.] ------- -6 ’ . Vt. CONTRACTOR DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION [ Optional provision. Section vi i attached, way be a useful negotiating tool against contractor. which do busines, with the Federal goverr ent. However, the Off ice of Inspector General, Suspension and Debarment Branch (FTS 475-3960) should be consulted prior to making any. coients regarding suspension or debarment proceedings.] VII. STIPULATED PENALTIES [ At a should apply to violations of specific injunctive relief, such as training progr or asbestos control progr .) A. Defendant XYZ shall pay stipulatsd penalties of $______ per day per violation of any provision of Sections ____ of this Consent Decree. B. All payments of stipulated penalties shall be made within thirty (30) days of the date of noncompliance by cashiers’s or certified check wade payable to the “Treasurer of the United States” and wailed to the United States Attorney [ Address] District of Louisiana. A copy of the letter forwarding such check, together with a brief description of the noncompliance, shall be mailed to the Office of Regional Coims.l, [ Address] and to the Land and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justic.. ------- -7- C. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent or li jt the right. of the plaintiff to obtain any other remedy, sanction, or relief wttich may be available to it by virtue of Defendant’s failure to comply with this Consent Decree, the Clean Air Act, or the asbestos NE$RAp. V III. FORCE MAJEURE [ Optional - may be inserted if demanded by Defendants. Sectior VU! attached is recommended.] 1x TERMI NAT! ON This Consent Decree shall, terminate 3 years from the date of its entry, provided the Defendant ha. complied wit’h its terms, including the payment of any accrued stipulated penalties. The United States shall have the right to seek extension of this period in the event of any violation of the Decree. The Court will retain jurisdiction over this matter to enforce the provi- sions of this Decree. x. PUBLIC NOTICE Each party consents to entry of this Consent Decree, subject to the public notice and comment requirements of 28 C.F.R. 150.7. XII. COSTS Each party shall bear its own costs. ------- -8- For Plaintiff United States of America: Dated: Assistant Attorney General Land and Natural Resource. Division United States Department of Justice Dated: Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring United States Enviror enta]. Protection Agency ____________________________ Dated: Assistant United States Attorney Middle DLst’rict of Louisiana Dated: Trial Attorney Land and Natural Resources Division Environmental Enforcement Section United States Department of Justice ___________________________ Dated: For Defendant XYZ Demolition Contractors, Inc. ____________________________ Dated: For Defendant Amalgamated Property Owners, Inc. ------- —9. - ENTRY OF THE COURT Judgment entered in accordance with the foregoing Consent Decree this — day of ____________ , 1987. BY THE COURT; United States District Judge ------- Model Consent Decree - Optional Provision, I. NOTIFICATION The notification provisions of this paragraph are in additLon to, and are not a substitute for, the notification provisions of 40 C.F.R. 161.146. A. Until the termination of this decree, XYZ Demolition agrees to do the following regarding any demolition and/or renovation project it undertakes, regardless of whether asbestos material is involved, where the dollar emount of XYZ’s inicial contract exceeds $75,000.00 in either cash or service, rendered. 1. XYZ Demolition will notify the Enviror enra1 Protection Agency (hereinafter called “EPA”) and the corresponding or relevant State/local envtro ental agency of the demolition/renovation activity by XYZ. 2. Notifications made pursuant to Paragraph I(A)(1) shall include the information specified in 40 C.F.R. 161.146(c) and shall be submitted at least twenty (20) days prior to the commencement of the renovation and/or demolition work by XYZ or contractors hired by it to perform renovation and/or demolition work. The notification to the EPA shall be sent via certified mail to the United States Enviror .ntal Protection Agency, (Address]. 3. In addition to the information required by 40 C.F.R. 161.146(c), each notification shall include: (1) The nem. and position of the person responsible for supervising all work involving asbestos-containing material (ACM). (2) The n e, address, telephone nt ber and contact person of th. firm(s) which will transport any asbestos- containing waste from the site. ------- —2— (3)A description of the procedures and equi ent to be used to prevent visible ii io g of asbestoa..co _ taming material, and to decont jnate rkere. (4) A description of the location and amount of ACM in the facility to undergo renovation or demolition. (5) The n e of the person who determined whether asbestos_containing material (ACM) Was located at the site and the basis on which such determination was made. B. XYZ shall also include the information specified in Paragraph I(A)(3) in notifications submitted pursuant to 40 C.F.R. 561 .146 concerning renovatlon/demoljejon projects involving asbestos where the value of the initial contract La less than $75,000.00 in cash or services rendered. C. The notice provisions of this Consent Decree do not eliminate or modify any obligation of XYZ to give notice to any state or local agency. II. ASBESTOS CONTROL PROGRAM A. Within sixty (60) days after final entry of this Decree by the Court, XYZ shall develop or have developed an asbestos control program (ACP). This plan will detail XYZ’s procedures for complying with the Asbestos NESMAP, 40 C.F.R., Part 61, Subpart M. tt also shall include procedures governing submittal of notifications required by this Decree. B. Aa pert of the ACP, XYZ shall designate an Asbestos Program Manager (AIM) and an alternative APM. The APM will have the following duties and responsibilities: 1. Managing all asbestos control program activities, including the asbestos training program for XYZ. ------- -3- 2. Acting as the primary liaison between XYZ and EPA and/or any state/local, air -pollution control agency. The APM shall be responsible for ensuring that EPA and the appropriate state/local air pollution agency receives the proper riotif Lest ion. 3. Ensuring that each site is inspected prior to submittal, of the notification discused above to determine whether ACM is present. 4. Ensuring that decontamination facilities are available, equipped, and used at each job site involving r oval of ACM. 5. Maintaining any records of any landfill receipts and reports of analyses perform ’ed on samples taken to derermine th. presence of ACM. C. The president of XYZ will be responsible at all times for the APH’s performance of his duties. D. At each d olition and renovation project involving ACM, XYZ shall designate sire-asbestos-supervisors who shall either be or who shall. report to the ACM. XYZ shall have the right to designate different individuals as asbestos supervisor at a particular site on a day-to-day basis. 1. Each site-asbestos-supervisor shall have the primary responsibility for managing all asbestos activities at the work site. 2. The site-asbestos-supervisor will be the primary contact through which any ployee at the site involved with asbestos r oval shall receive guidance and inecn ctions. 3. Tb. site-asbestos-supervisor shall be the primary liaison between EPA and/or stat./ local inspectors and on-site ployees. ------- -4- 4. The site-asbestos-supervisor shall immediately correct any violations of the Asbestos NESHAP he discovers. If an immediate remedy is not possible, the supervisor shall stop all asbestos removal activities until the violations are corrected. 5. The site-asbestos-supervisor shall have a copy of the written notification for that site in his possession while on-site. E. ciz shall take all reasonable steps to see that the employees engaged in removal, handling, and transporting activ1 tLes follow all practices and procedures learned during the Asbestos Training Progr (discussed in Section IV) and any written andlor oral instructions provided by the.APM and,/or the job site asbestos supervisor. F. XYZ shall develop written Asbestos Policies and Procedures. The procedures shall address all of the requirements listed in this doci.ent and responsibilities of the APMI supervisors and employees. The policy shall provide that workers are encouraged to report any violations of the progr or any Asbestos NESHAP (40 C.F.R. Part 61 , Subpart M) to the Asbestos Progr Manager or the site-asbestos—supervisor. The procedures shall detail how ACM is to be removed at a site facility and how ACM is to be disposed of. 1. These procedures shall be given to each employee and supervisor involved with asbestos activites. 2. These proc.dures shall be periodically reviewed by the APM and XYZ company officers and revised if necessary, based upon changes in the regulations, develop- ment of new removal techniques or any other reason necessary to ensure that all, requirements are addressed. ------- —5— G. XYZ shall submit its ACP to EPA for review and approval within seventy-five (75) days of the date this Decree is approved and entered as an order of the Court. If EPA requires changes in the ACP, EPA’s comments shall thereafter be incorporated. III. ASBESTOS TRAINING PROGRAM A. XYZ shall develop and LmpL enc an Asbestos Training Program (ATP) for all company ployeee engaged in actual asbestos re oval, handling, transportation and disposal activities, all for en/aupervisors of asbestos activities and an Asbestos Program Manager (APM) atd an alternate as of the effective date of this Decree. B. XYZ has chosen and will hire (trainer acceptable to EPA] to provide the ATP for the persons identified in Paragraph 1 1 1(A). The ATP offered by [ trainer] will consist of its regular “Worker Training” course plus all requir ents of the Asbestos Control Program described in Paragraph II of this Decree. This course will cover, at a minim , information concerning the background of asbestos; federal, state and city regulations; medical surveillance, health effects of asbestos, worker protection, air sampling and general and special work practices. XYZ will ensure that the course devotes at least three hours to actual asbestos r oval techniques required by the Asbestos NESHAP, 40 C.F.R. Part 61, Subpart M. C. XYZ will impl ene the ATP within 45 days of the entry of çhis Decree by the Court. ------- -6- D. One year from the effective date of this Decree, XYZ will provid. the training progr identified in Section 111(B) of this Decree to employees engaged in actual, asbestos removal, handling, transportation and disposal activities who were hired by XYZ after completion of the initial training program. XYZ must complete this training progr within 15 months of the effective date of this Decree. E. Within 15 days of the training program’s completion, x z must submit satisfactory evidence from the person who conducts the training program that each employee required above to be trained has successfully completed the AT?. The submissions shall be sent by certified emil to the United States Enviror ental Protection Agency, (Address]. IV. CIVIL PENALTY A. Defendant shall pay a total civil penalty payment of S___ _____ in ______ installments together with interest ‘by cashier’ s or cert .f ,ed check payable to “Treasurer, United States of America” and sent by registered mail to the United States Attorney (Address] according to the following schedule. 1) $__________ shall be paid within — days of final, entry of this consent decree. 2) $_________ shall be paid within ____ days ot ftnai. entry of this consent decree, together with accrued interest at the specified rate. 3) Etc. ------- —7— B. Interest shall accrue upon the unpaid balance at a race equal to the coupon issue yield equivale (as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury) of the average accepted auction price for the last auction of 52-week U.S. Treasury bills settled immediately prior to the time of the preceeding payment and shall be included in each subsequent payment under the schedule of payments set forth in sub-paragraphs A(2) and (3), above. Interest shall be computed from (time of first paymentj. Thirty (30) days prior to the payments described in A(2) and (3), above, the U.S. Attorney’s Office shall send a statement of interest due and owing for the upcoming payment. C. The civil penalty payments made under this Consent Decree are not tax deductible. Upon fth.al entry of this Consent Decree, the United States shall be deemed a judgment creditor for purposes of enforcement of this Decree. V. ACCELERATION OF PAYMENTS A. If the Defendant: (1) fails to make any payment in the time specified under this Consent Decree, or (2) files a voluntary petition in bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, or (3) is adjudicated as bankrupt under such Code, or (4) is the subject of a petition filed in federal or state court for che appoin ent of a trustee or receiver in bankruptcy or insolvency, or (5) aak.s a general assig ent for the benefit of creditors, then on the occurrence of any such conditions, at the option of the United States, the entire balance of the principal amount of civil penalty, together with all, accrued interest at the rate specified above in paragraph B of Section IV of this Consent Decree, shall become immediately due and payable. Defendant shall also be liable for attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the United States as a result of the implementation of this acceleration provision. ------- -8.- B. Within five (5) business days after Defendant becomes aware of an occurrence of any of the events or conditions described in subparagraph V(A)(2) -(5) above, the Defendant shall give immediate written notice to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, [ Address] and to the United States Attorney [ Address] by certified first class mail, postage prepaid. VI. GUARANTY See Exhibit A attached hereto. VII. CONTRACTOR DEBARMENT AND SUSPENSION It is the policy of the Envirox encal Protection Agency (EPA) to do business only with responsible contractors. EPA contends it has the authority to debar or suspend irresponsible contractors from EPA-assisted, indirect procurement under 40 C.F.R. 932.100, et seq . and from direct Federal procurement under 48 C.F.R. 99.400, et of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. EPA agrees that it will not institute debarment or susperisLon proceedings against the Defendant based on th . e violations that underlie this Consent Decree as Long as the Defendant complies with the terms and conditions of this Consent Decree, If EPA determines, after appropriate notice and an opportunity for a hearing pursuant to 40 C.F.R. 932.100, et q . and 48 C.F.R. 99.400 et , ,, chat Defendant has breached the terms and conditions of this Consent Decree, then Defendant agrees that such breach may constitute a causi for debarment and suspension. In such case, if EPA initiat. a debarment or suspension action, it may cite the violations which gave rise to this Consent Decree as causes for debarment or suspension, in addition to the violations of the Consent Decree, ------- v ii i. FORCE KAJEURE If any event occurs that causes or may cause delays in the completion of the activities described herein, XYZ shall within five days of its learning of such event notify the United States in writing of the delay or anticipated delay, describing in detail the precise cause or causes of the delay, the anticipated length of the delay, the measures taken and to be taken by xyZ to prevent or minimize the delay and the time-table by which these measures will be impl enced. XYZ will adopt all reasonable measures to avoid or minimize any such delay. If the United States and XY agree that the delay, or anticipated delay, has been or will be caused by circ stances entirely beyond the control of XYZ and agree on the length of the delay, the time for performance hereunder will, with Court approval, be extended for a period equal to the delay resulting from such circ stances, If the United States and XYZ do not agree that the delay, or anticipated delay, has been or will be caused by circtstances entirely beyond the control of XYZ, and/or do not agree on the length of the delay, XYZ may submit the matter to the Court for resolution. Ir any such proceeding, XYZ shall bear the burden of d onstrating chat the delay or anticipated delay, has been or will be caused by circ scances entirely beyond its control and of the necessity of the proposed length of the delay. Increased costs or expenses associated with thpl encatiori of the activities required by this Consent Decree and changes in economic circ stances of the defendants shall not be considered circ stances beyond the control of th. defendants. XYZ shall be entitled to the benefits of this paragraph only if XYZ has given the notice of the delay or anticipated delay as set forth above in this paragraph. ------- C.. l1’Q I Ouarantj of Paymey by Indorsm 1. In Consideration of the payment schedule set forth in S .CtLO,I VI, Part A, of the consent decree tiled in United Stat.. v. P.C.& J. Contracting Co. 1 Inc. , Civil Acti No. C84 .1el (Northern District of Zowi) (Thereinafter the Decree”) the undersigned indorsers ointly an4 severally UflCOfldittonally guaranty the payment of a 1105,000 c lvi i penalty, together with Interest at the rat. Specified in Section VI, Part B of the Decree and all cost., expense., and attorney’, fees incurred In the COllictt n of said civil penalty. 2. As payments are made puriuant to the payment schedule set ror in Sectjo VI, Part A, of the Decree, the United States agrees to reduce indorsers’ oblig&tj and guarantee accordingly. 3. Indorsers’ liability is independent of any other guara tje between Indorser . and any Other parties’ guaranties , . This guarantee Is binding upon the Indorsers, their heirs, personal representatives, and assigns, 5. Indorseps waive any presentment, demand, prot.st, and notice or dishonor associated tth this guarantee. R eso P. Bezrnalinovjc , lfldjyjdu*liy and as Vice President of PC&J Contracting Co., Inc. Bonic, wit, of Xreso P. Beamalinovic, individually, and * 5 President of PC&J Contracting Co., Inc. Sworn to and Subscribed to, after presentation of photographic identification of abov . undersjgned indorsers, A ‘ before me this ’ 5. I’: tt.m .. ‘.. I, Qs C.” W I day of.. . . , 1986. Exhibit A ------- %Ni8IT 8 (date) TO: ALL OFFICE PERSONNEL E.P.A. NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE FOR ALL DEMOLITION AND RENOVATION JOB INVOLVINg ASBESTOS REMOVAL In order to meet strict compliance with E.P.A. notification re- quirements, the following procedure is now in effect and is to be followed for all demolition and renovation jobs . Note that one of the two notification forms (se. attached) must be completed prior to beginning demolition or renovation activity. The choice of the appropriate form will depend on the quantity or asbestos preser. 1) On a demolition or renovation job involving the stripping or removal of less than 260 linear feet of asbestos material on pipes and less than ibO square te.t of asbestos material on ducts, boiler tanks, reactors, turbines, furnaces, or structural members, the TVENT DAY NOTICE term will be used. It must be postmarked or delivered at least twenty (20) days before demolition or renovatior or any associated stri ing or removal of asbestos material begins . 2) On a demolition or renovation job involving the removal of t least 260 linear feet of asbestos material on pipes or at leas square feet of asbestos material on ‘other facility components TEN DAY NOTICE form will be used. It must be postmarked or delivered at least ten (10) days before demolition or renovation or any associated stripping or removal of asbestos material begins . 3) The original of the appropriat. notification document shall be sent to the proper state agency or local air polution control agenc A copy of the same notice shall be sent to the appropriate U.S. EPA regional offjce ,si d 1 ‘— rnut— , -L LL Preteelten Able,, Stafl., ar- L,-, jvL ,j ,, , !U—3fl , ft lbw.tsU5flS ‘ 1ii.yi L a.htngt.en, L. A copy of each document sent shall be kept in the job tile. ATTACH! lENT 1 Page i of ------- (da:e) (To the appropriate EPA regional office and the state or de1egate local agency) TWENTY DAY NOTIFICATION OP ASBESTOS REMOVAL PURSUANT TO 110 C.P.R. S 61.11 6 ACTIVITIES Pursuant to the requirement, of 110 CPR fic&tio of impending asbestos removal Contracting Co., Inc., located at ____ 61.1116, the is provided following noti— by P C & J FACILITY TO BE DEMOLISHW OR RENOVATE Name of facility: Address: ________ City: __________ Telephone: Name of owner: Address: _____ City: _______ Telephone: state: Sta t&i Size of facility: — Age of facility: ____________________ Prior usase: _______________________ Demolition or renovation methodology: ASBESTOS INFORMATION Removal dates: Start Quantity on pipes (linear feet) Quantity on other components (square Description of asbesto, material: Pinj h feet) Method of asbestos measurement: Sincerely yours, Dear Zip; Zi p: ATTACHI lENT 2 of Pig. 1 1 ------- (date) (To the appropriate U. S. EPA regional office, and the state or delegated local agency) TEN DAY NOTICE OP ASBESTOS REMOVAL ACTIVITIES PURSUANT TO 4 Q C.P.R. S 6l.i 6 Dear ___________________ Pursuant to the requirements of 1 O CPR section 61.146, the followthg notification of impending asbestos removal is provided by P C & J Contracting Co., Inc., located at ____________________________ FACILITY TO BE DEMOLISHED OR RENOVATED Name of facility: ________________________________________________ Address: ________ City: ____________________ State: _____________ Zip: _______ Telephone: ________________________ Name of owner: ____________________ Address: ____________________________ City: _____________________ State: Telephone: ________________________ Size of facility: __________________ Age of facility: ___________________ Prior usage: _______________________ Demolition or renovation methodology: ASBESTOS INFORMATION Removal dates: Start • Quantity on pipes (linear feet) Quantity on other components (square Description of asbestos material: Finish feet) Removal emission control procedures: ATTACHi lENT 3 Page 1 of 2 ------- —2— DISPOSAL IN? :ATI:: ; Waste handling e isston control procedures: Disposal site nsas: Add rese: __________ City: _____________ Telephone: ________ Sincerely yours, ATTACHI lENT Page 2 3 of 2 ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 5 ASBESTOS NESHAP Revised Asbestos NESHAP Strategy 03/31/88 5 ------- ‘ s .. \ r TATE E\\ IR)\\TE T.2 L PROTECTIO\ AGE\C HL\GTO\, DC 20460 ft / 4 M 3i 88 OF CE O AIR A’O RADLA Op MEMORANDtJM SUBJECT: Revised Asbestos r ESHAp Strategy FROM: John S. Seitz, Director Stationary Source Compli ivis Office of Air Quality P1 ning and Standard Michael S. Alushjr ( Z .,a41J J4,.- Associate Enforcement Courc.eel for 4r TO: Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III and IX Air and Waste Management Djvjsio Director Region ii Air, Pesticides, and Taxies Management Djvj j Directors Regions iv and VI Air and Radiation Division Director Region V Air and Toxjcg Division Directors Regions vii, VIII and X Regional Counsels, Regions i—x Attached is the revised strategy for the implementation and enforce nt of the asbestos demolition and renovation reguireme 3 • The April 6, 1984 Asbestos Strategy Document was issued concurrently with the repromuigation of the asbestos NESHAP. The goal of the 1984 strategy was to attain 100% compliance through the implementation of an inspection plan. According to the 1984 strategy an inspection plan could consist of Inspecting a11 sources, all contractors, or any other program consistent with the Agency goal of 100% compliance. ’ Because the annual notification rate has risen dramatically and is expected to be well above 50,000 for FY 88, NOTE: For the referenced attachments, contact OECM-AED or OAQPS-SSCD. ------- —2— it is no longer feasible for most agencies to inspect all sites. Inspecting all contractors may be the best alternative for an effective inspection plan, however, the 1984 strategj did not fully describe how such a plan would be implemented. After auditing three Regional asbestos ESHAP enforcement programs, the Inspector General’s office remarked that the 1984 strategy “does not provide additional criteria for developing an effective inspection strategy.” The revised strategy provides the criteria for targeting inspections among a field of an estimated 5,000 contractors as opposed to selecting inspection sites from over 50,000 notifications. Inspection efforts focused on contractors should result in a more resource— effective enforcement program. Major changes have been made to the original computer tracking system described in the draft revised strategy. In response to regional comments the national tracking system will be in DBASE UI format rather than CDS. This will allow tracking of the number of notifications and associated compli- ance activity in each state, as opposed to workeite location for each notification. tegions will be expected to send quarterly reports of the data elements contained in APP DIX A of the revised strategy to Headquarters . preferably through electronic transmission. The aggregated nationwide database information will be used to target inspections and promote enforcement options as described in the strategy. A new section on outreach has been added to the strategy describing methods of communication with the regulated com- munity. Other additions include new appendices on identifying non—notifiers, EPA technical assistance, generic 113(a) and temporary restraining orders, and finalized guidance on contractor listing. Each originally drafted section of the revised strategy has been modified to accommodate comments from the Regions 1 OTS, and ALAPCO. Since the asbestos NESHAP program is primarily delegated to the States, the success of this strategy depends on implementation and cooperation from the States. It is important that the States understand that the tracking system ------- —3— w 1l contain a nationwide database of contractor coln3liarlce histories, and that the States will utilize this tracking system extensively. Any questions or comments should be addressed to Jim Engel of my staff at 382—2877. At tachment cc: Air Compliance Branch Chiefs Asbestos NESMAP Contacts William Becker Gerald Emison John Neylan David Kling Sims Roy ------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Asbestos Strategy . pp 1 — Introduction . . . pp 1 — 3 Strategy Components . pp 4 - 19 1. Outreach . p 4 2. Contractor Training ......... pp 4 — 5 3. Inspector Training p 5 4. Inspections ........ •1• . pp 5 — 8 5. Inspection Targetting pp 8 — 10 6. Program Alternatives .................... . . . . PP 10 12 7. Federal Enforcement Options .. - pp 12 — 15 R.ChoosingEnforcementOPtiOfl .........pp iS—16 .AssessingPefla1t1eS........... .. . p17 10. Reporting p 17 •Reg onalOverS1ght.....................””PP 1718 12. Cross—Program Coordination ..... pp 18 — 19 APPENDIX A TrackingAsbestosSoUrCes. . Al—AS APPENDIX B Asbestos Demo1itiOfl!Rer OVat1Ofl Penalty Policy ............ Bi APPENDIX C UniformHazardousWaSteMaflife9t...,...s. .. _Cl APPENDIX D 113 Compliance Order/114 Information Request ....... Dl — Dli APPENDIX E Pre—Referral Settlement Procedures El — E36 APPENDIX F IdentifyingNOfl—NOti.fier s APPENDIX G SPMS Reporting Format .. . ..ssøe•••e s••••••••• Cl APPENDIX H Standardized InspectionChecklist •............. Hi H3 APPENDIX .1 List ortat. Certification Requirements •........... 11 — 13 APPENDIX States Covered by Worker Protection Rule ................ Ji APPENDIX r ractorListingAppliCatiOfl •...... .............. 1—K13 APPENDIX L EPA Technical Assistance for Asbestos Control ...... Li - Ll2 APPENDIX M Generic 113(a) order and TRO ......... ....... •.. Ml M20 ------- Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Enforcement Strategy Introduction Asbestos is recognized as a human and animal carcinogen and, combined with cigarette smoking, a powerful co—carcinogen. Malignant diseases caused by asbestos exposure include bronchial carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, alimentary tract carcinoma, and tumors of other sites. Asbestosis, a fibrotic lung disease caused by asbestos fibers, is also associated with long—term exposure. These diseases are linked to ambient environmental exposures as well as to occupational exposures. To reduce ambient exposures and the accompanying health risk, EPA regulated asbestos under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS). This enforcement strategy document has been prepared in order to ensure compliance with the NESHAP standard. By specifying actions to be taken and a procedure to follow, this strategy will provide effective and uniform enforcement of the standard by Regions and delegated States. This strategy document Is also intended to provide emphasis and assurances to Regional Offices and States that asbestos occupies a high priority and that EPA is totally committed to a strong enforcemertt posture. Background EPA first promulgated the asbestos NESHAP on April 6, 1973. Parts of the standard were in the form of work practice (nonnurnerical) requirements. The Supreme Court held, in Adamo Wrecking Company v. United States , 434 U.S. 275 (1978) that these were not emissions standards within the meaning of the 1970 Clean Air Act. Since EPA, at the time the asbestos regulations were promulgated, had authority to promulgate and enforce only emissions standards, the Court upheld dismissal of the criminal enforcement action brought against Adamo for violations of S112(c)(1)(B} of the 1970 Act. On August 7, 1977, 5112(e) was added to the Act td specifically authorize design, equipment, work practice, and operational standards. Although regulations promulgated since that time could contain work practice standards, there was doubt as to the way of dealing with regulations promul- gated prior to that time. EPA repromulgated many of the asbestos work practice standards on 3une 19, 1978. However, some work practices were not repromulgated, and were not ------- —2— consid red enforoeable by EPA. This led to confu i and greatly hindered litigation efforts. In an attempt to end this confusion and ensure all aspects of the asbestos NES Ap are enforceable, EPA repromulgated the entire asbestos standard in April of 1984. The strategy document presented here addresses training, inspection techniques, judicial and administrative enforcement mechanisms, and other aspects essential for a successful program of compliance with the repromulgated regulation Flexibility is provided so that the enforcing authority, be it the EPA Regional Office or the delegated State or local agency, may select other options, provided a high level of compliance is achieved. The strategy also is designed to ensure coordination between EPA Regions and their delegated States. Since 38 States presently have asbestos enforcement delegation, it is essential these States feel a part of the process and have the capability and desire to Successfully enforce the standard. An EPA Compliance Data System analysis showed that the number of demolition and renovation sources is greater than that of all other asbestos source categories combined, and the compliance status much worse. The strategy is thus limited to the renovation and demolition category. An additional reason for this limitation is that since renovatior and dernolitions are transitory operations, they are more difficult to inspect and require specific enforcement guidance. This limitation does not mean other asbestos sources should be ignored, but means rather that EPA believes the States have sufficient knowledge of these other sources to do a satisfactory job without additional guidance. Summary of Regulations Before discussing the components of an effective strategy, it is necessary to briefly outline the requirements of the demolition and renovation provisions. These provisions are found at 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M. The owner/operator of a demolition or renovation is exempt, pursuant to S61.145(b) and (d), from emission reduction requirements if less than 80 linear meters (260 linear feet of fria 1e asbestos materials covering pipes or less than 15 m (160 ft’) of friable asbestos material covering other facility components is involved, and notification provisions of S61.l46(a),(b), and (c)(1)—(5) are met for demo ljt ions. ------- —3— Section 61.147 concerns the wetting, stripping and removal of friable asbestos. it provides that friable asbestos materials used on any pipe, duct, boiler, tank, reactor, turbine, furnace or structural member shall be adequately wetted during stripping, and then removed from the building. When prior authorization is obtained from EPA upon the appropriate demonstration made pursuant to 5 6 l.147(c)(1) and (2) of unavoidable equipment damage, a local exhaust ventilation and collection system may be used to prevent emissions to the outside air, Section 6 l.147(e) requires that ‘tripped or removed asbestos materials be wet during all stages of demolition or renovation and related handling operations, and S61.l47(f) allows alternatives to wetting during Ereezing temperatures. Section 61 .145(c) exempts demolition operations, pursuant to a State or local Order, on structurally unsound buildings from all requirements except those enumerated in the subsection. in addition, S61.152 prohibits any visible emission from the collection, packaging, transporting, or depositing of asbestos from any demolition or renovation, and requires that asbestos waste be deposited at acceptable waste disposal sites. S61.156 prohibits visible emissions from an active waste disposal site except under Specified and limited conditions. Because of regulatory limitations this strategy concentrates on asbestos removal operations as opposed to asbestos waste transportation and disposal. When the asbestos NESMAP is revised to allow for more attention to asbestos waste disposal requirements, Regions and states should increase their oversight of those requirementg In the interim the strategy should include a program of inspecting each disposal site to determine what are the usual practices with respect to waste handling. After these initial Inspections, perform random multi—day inspections to observe the actual disposal of waste at each site, and determine who put waste into the landfill during the period of surveillance so that responsibility could be assigned to contractors if improper disposal practices are noted at the landfill. ------- —4— Strategy Components 1. Outreach — PA and the delegated agencies could approach enforcement of the asbestos NESHAP by devoting resources entirely to catching owners/operators in the act of violating NESHAP requirements and taking appropriate enforcement measures. However, enforcement of the NESE-LAP could be easier and nore effective if it is directed towards a regulated community aware of EPA requirements rather than a regulated community unsure of those requirements. By now owners/operators should be familiar with the NESHAP, but sometimes they could benefit from PA guidance such as past EPA applicacility determinations. There are many methods of developing a compliance assistance component to an enforcement program. A pamphlet containing easy—to—understand explanations of the regula- tions and phone numbers of appropriate agency personnel who can provide further assistance can be distributed to removal contractors and anyone else concerned with the hazards involved with asbestos removal. Another way for EPA and delegated agencies to provide compliance assistance is to meet the regulated community in person. Seminars and demonstration workshops presented to contractbrs and owners and managers of commercial buildings can be greatly effective. In addition, discussion forums with school district administrators, architects, lenders, real estate groups, and insurance agency representatives can create a general public awareness of asbestos hazards and EPA regulatory requirements. Radio talk shows concerning asbestos hazards will produce the same effect. EPA’S Hazard Abatement Assistance Branch (MAAB), formerly Asbestos Action Program, of the Office of Toxic Substances (OTS) offers technical assistance to the public through training seminars, telephone contact with the public, guidance documents, and other means which are all described in APPENDIX L. EPA and the delegated agencies should make a significant commitment to public education and outreach to create increased awareness and understanding of the regulations among the regulated community and an atmosphere of agency—contractor cooperation. 2. Contractor Training — Most states have established some type of contractor certification or training program for asbestos removal. Further, the Model Accreditation Plan under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires that all states establish accreditation programs for persons who inspect, develop management plans, or design or conduct response actions in schools. APP DIX I lists the status of the state certification requirements for all states. States which have not yet adopted certification requirements for asbestos removal workers may have to make greater use of the ------- —5— outreach methods described in Section 1 to educate contractors as to what inspectors expect to find at a removal site in order to verify compliance with the NESHAP. HAAB asbestos removal training is provided by the Office of Toxic Substances (OTS) in response to legislation enacted for the Asbestos in Schools program. The HAAB training centers and the training they provide are discussed on pages 4 — 6 of Appendix L. In addition to providing training on campus, some of these institutions schedule training sessions at other locations nat ionwide. Regions should encourage states to adopt contractor certification requirements for NESHAP removal activity. Considering that contractors already need to be certified for removal work under the Asbestos Mazard Emergency Response Act- (AHEPA), a logical way for states to require certification under the NESHAP is by expanding the AHERA certification requirement to all demolition/renovation contractors. 3. Inspector Training — Inspector effectiveness at finding violations and documenting evidence at subject demolition and renovation sources is the basis for EPA’s asbestos NESHAP enforcement program. The only way to ensure this effectiveness is to provide inspectors with training on inspection procedures and safety, and to familiarize them with the NESHAP and other pertinent regulations. To help accomplish this, SSCD has established the Asbestos NESHAP Inspection Workshop — a classroom training program available to the Regions and states. In light of the many changes in EPA asbestos enforcement since the Inspection Workshop began, SSCD is currently revising the Workshop Manual and will periodically review and update the revised manual in the future. This manual should ze published in April 1988 for distribution to the Regions and delegated agencies. Agencies should also consider sending their asbestos inspectors to one of the RAAB training centers identified in APPENDIX t. so that their inspectors will be aware of what certified removal contractors are being taught about complying with the asbestos NESHAP. Because most asbestos NESHAP inspections are conducted by state and local inspectors, it is important to encourage the delegated agencies to send their inspectors to both the SSCD and HAAB training, as well as any contractor certification training provided at the state level. 4. Inspections — Inspections provide the foundation for all asbestos NESHAP enforcement actions for substantive vio- lations, and are therefore of primary Importance in enforcing the NESHAP. In most cases, it is necessary for the inspector to enter active removal areas both to determine compliance and to collect evidence of any non—compliance. ------- —6— The following is a list of positive inspection techniques: o Bring copies of the ESHAP regulations to the inspection site to leave with owner/operators and for the inspector’s own reference; o To the extent possible assess the site to be inspected, in compliance with Section 114 and 4th Amendment require- ments, prior to making your presence known; O Along with presenting credentials, provide a calling card for future reference by the facility owner/contractor; O Clearly identify the line of authority between all parties involved, i.e., subcontractor, oversight contractor, general contractor, owner, etc.; o Use a standard checklist and complete as much information as possible before tering a contaminated area in order to minimize the time in the contaminated area; o In addition to asking the appropriate representative if he or she is aware of the regulations, ask them to verbe. describe their understanding of the regulation; o Carry only essential items into the contaminated area, items such as a clipboard can be Left outside; O Samples should be taken at every site inspected. When samples are taken, label immediately and log number onto the inspection checklist and log onto a chain—of- custody form; o Photograph with waterproof automatic cameras; o Estimate the amount of asbestos in linear or square feet by pacing off or using a tape measure; Always conduct a quick to—the—point wrap—up meeting and inform the owner/operator of findings, but do not interpret the regulation or make compliance determinations; o To the extent possible reference all discussions to specific requirements in the regulation being enforced; O Always wear appropriate safety gear. ------- —7-. The inspection techniques referred to three items which are especially important equipment for asbestos NESHAP inspectors — checklist, camera, and safety gear. This equipment, described below, is considered standard LnspectLon gear. a) Checklist - In order to reliably document evidence of compliance status at each subject worksite, the inspector must enter all pertinent information onto a reasonably detailed checklist while the findings of the inspection are fresh in memory. The inspector should complete as much of the checklist as possible prior to entering the workaite. So as not to make the checklist an item requiring decontamination, the inspector should not bring the checklist inside the removal area, but instead complete the rest of the checklist entries immediately after conducting the inspection. A good checklist such as the example shown in ppendix H will provide the inspector an outline of what to look for during the inspection. In order to complete the checklist the inspector must enter the removal area. This reflects EPA’s policy that inspectors should, whenever possible, observe asbestos work practices in progress in order to assess compliance. When the barrier to a contain- ment area is transparent or when asbestos fibers are released outside the containment area, it may not be necessary to enter the removal area to observe work practices. However, because samples are to be taken during each inspection, it may still be necessary to enter such a site to collect samples. If an inspection reveals NESHAP violations, the inspector should write a report summarizing the inspection and specifying the conditions unique to the work site which could not be entered onto the standardized checklist. b) Camera — Photographing removal activity can provide some of the strongest evidence of non—compliance. Supplying inspectors with reliable cameras is necessary to ensure that photographic evidence will contribute to the agency’s cause should a civil action become necessary. Waterproof automatic cameras are especially useful in the wet environment found at many removal sites, and will endure decontamination showers. c) Safety Gear — EPA ’s most recent guidance concerning safety gear for asbestos inspectors is contained n the May 1987 Interim Health and Safety Guidelines for EPA Asbestos Inspectors.N These guidelines should be referenced to ensure inspector protection. ------- —8— I-nspections reported in the computer tracking system outlined in APPENDIX A and subsequently reported into SPt’ .S must consist of sample collection and observation of work practices whenever possible. Regional and delegated agency inspectors should be attentive to the positive inspection techniques and implement them whenever possible as well. Of course, if an insoector arrives at an unfinished removal Site when no removal activity is occurring, the inspector will be unable to present credentials and questions to the appropriate representative, observe work practices, and conduct a “wrap—up” meeting to inform the owner/operator of specific violations found, but will still be able to take samples and photographs and complete a standardized checklist as much as possible. it may still be possible to make a compliance determination based on the evidence presented. 5. Inspection Targeting — The number of notifications received by EPA and the delegated agencies hasrisen from 20,537 in 1985 to 29,087 in 1986, and in 1987 this figure rose to 43,496. Because of this tremendous increase, Regions and their delegated agencies must make more efficient use of inspectors’ time by implementing a targeting system which strategically identifies which notifications or contractors to follow up with inspections. The computer tracking system described in Appendix A is designed to assist agencies in targeting their inspections. The instructions contained in Appendix A establishes conventions for the input and retrieval of contractor records, and because the entire inspector targeting method which follows is based on the use of the computer tracking program, these instruc- tions should be reviewed carefully. it will be required of all delegated enforcement agencies to use the tracking program for inspection targeting. Prioritizing inspections by identifying removal sites where violations are most likely to occur will enable Regions arid their delegated agencies to make more efficient use of resources. Inspection priority should be based on a simple evaluation of computer tracking data involving the assessment of contractor compliance history. Table! I and 2 illustrate this sort of evaluation. Table 1 lists criteria discerned from the computer system, and criteria found on individual notifications to be prioritized, and gives numerical ratings for each criteria. By assigning numerical ratings to the tracking and notification criteria identified in Table 1, the inspection priority pertaining to each notification received can be determined by comparing the summation of the ratings to the rankings listed in Table 2. This evaluation, or a comparable method of evaluation, should be done for each removal activity to determine the need for inspecting each work site. ------- —9— TABLE I Tracking Criteria Rating Contractor is Listed as Descrtbed in Section 7 of this Document 10 Contractor Violated at Least Once During 3 Most Recent Inspections .... 10 Contractor has Not Been Inspected for Two Years ..... 10 Contractor has Not Been Inspected in past year 7 Contractor is Not Certified by an Approved Accredited Program ... 3 Contractor has a Recent Trend of Notification Violations .... 7 Notification Criteria NoNotificationRecejved 8 LateNoticeReceived 6 Notice Missing Location, Dates and/or Amount of Asbestos 6 Notice Missing Other Items ...... 4 Worksite in Occupied Building or Area of High Population Density 5 TABLE 2 Priority Ranking TOP Priority 10 or above HIGH Priority 5 — 9 LOW Priority 0 — 4 An inspection targeting evaluation establishes inspection priority based on computer tracking data. It does not limit inspections to the criteria listed in Table 1. Citizen complaints cannot be recorded in the computer tracking system, but they should be followed up with inspections based on agency judgment. Non—Notifiers In addition to the criteria listed in Table 1, special attention should be given to removal jobs for which no notification was received. As documented in the Inspector General’s asbestos NESMAP audit report, efforts to identify non—notifiers should include: o Checking building permits or public works files; Reviewing waste disposal site records; o Discussing consistent underbidders with national demolition contractors; o Coordinating with state, county, and city departments of building and health, and with Federal offices such as OSHA and Department of Education: o Reviewing publications such as National Wrecking and Salvage Journal, newspapers 1 and magazines. ------- — 10 — Region 3 has researched the problem of identifying non—notifiers and has documented their findings in a report which has been incorporated as APPENDIx F. Seven licensing and permitting agencies and several landfills in Philadelphia, PA and Richmond, VA were visited and record/file reviews were conducted. In these two cities Region 3 found that reviewing records (e.g., manifests, contracts) at the landfills was the most productive method of identifying non—notifiers. Because of differing levels of asbestos NESHAP enforce- ment funding among delegated agencies, some agencies will be capable of inspecting HIGH and TOP priority work sites as well as some LOW priority sites, while other agencies may be limited to inspecting mostly TOP priority sites. When delegated agencies are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a high level of asbestos NESHAP inspections due to funding limitations, they should adopt cost effective altern- ative enforcement mechanisms which when combined with modest inspection levels, will allow these agencies to maintain or enhance their present enforcement posture. Such alternatives are discussed in the following section. 6. Program Alternatives — Some states have remarked that maintaining their established inspection levels is difficult because of many changing demands being placed on the program. In order to accomodate these states while maintaining or enhancing their established enforcement posture, Regions should seek an agreement which includes the incorpora- tion of either of the following optional requirements into their state enforcement program coupled with the inspection targeting program outlined previously. When combined with a penalty policy of sufficient stringency for each violation type, the adoption of such requirements would be an acceptable state asbestos NESHAP enforcement program modification. I. Certification This alternative entails the adoption of a state—wide contractor certification program, where the following tniniwum requirements would apply: At least one supervisor certified in asbestos removal shall be present at each affected NESHAP removal site when removal work is ongoing. Certification shall be attained only by satisfactory completion of training at a state— approved training program, one of the EPA—approved courses identified in APPENDIX L, or any equivalent course. Any state employing this enforcement alternative shall exercise ------- — 11 — the authority to revoke the certification of any removal contractor found to be in violation of NESHAP requirements. When a contractor becomes listed as described in Section 6 of this document, certification should be revoked automatically. Certification requirements developed under AHERA, arid expanded for all demolition and renovation activities, would meet this requirement. Each certification training course must include the following: a) Education about the hazards of asbestos exposure, b) Clarification of NESHAP requirements, C) Training in removal procedures, d) Training in transportation and disposal procedures, e) Safety training. II. Asbestos Manifest Delegated agencies can implement this alternative by requir- ing waste shipment manifests for all asbestos waste shipments from affected sources. The manifest should be similar in detail and implementation as the Uniform Hazardous Waste Shipment Manifest (Appendix C), but specifically designated for asbestos containing waste. An asbestos manifest is a waste tracking form used to verify that asbestos waste is deposited at an approved waste site. Each removal operator enters information onto the manifest 4 pertaining to the amount of asbestos waste, and the designated disposal site, for each waste shipment from a removal site. The transporter of the waste then acknowledges on the manifest that he has received the indicated amount of asbestos waste for shipment to the designated disposal site. Before the transporter hauls the waste, the removal operator keeps a copy of the manifest indicating that the transporter has received the waste for shipment to a NESHAP approved disposal site. When the transporter arrives at the disposal site, the disposal site operator acknowledges on the manifest that the asbestos as described by the generator was disposed of at the designated disposal site. At this point the manifest form is complete. Now, the original is sent to the delegated agency informing enforcement personnel that the waste was properly disposed, one copy is sent to the removal operator indicating regulatory compliance, and the other two copies are maintained by the transporter and the disposal site operator. III. Notification Fees This alternative would require the owner/operator of a removal site to submit notification with a notification fee in an amount determined by the amount of asbestos containing material involved in the removal operation. For instance, if removal entails over 1000 linear feet or 5000 square feet of asbestos containing material, a $500 notification fee may be required. For removals ------- — 12 — involving less than 1000 linear feet or 5000 square feet but greater than 260 linear feet or 160 square feet a notification fee of $250 may be required. If the delegated agency’s asbestos removal regulation covers removal acti- vities that involve levels of asbestos containing material less than that of EPA’s threshhold (260 linear feet or 160 square feet), a different fee would be required. By implementing this alternative delegated agencies can fund a significant level of their enforcement program depending on the level of fees required. While these alternatives are not required as a mandatory part of an acceptable asbestos demolition and renovation enforcement program, they do represent examples of how state and local agencies can improve their knowledge of the regulated community. Although these options may have their own resource demands, implementation of these kinds of activities should ultimately allow state and local agencies to improve their ‘ compliance rates while maintaining a reasonable resource commitment. Concurrent with the implementation of one of the above requirements, states must employ a penalty policy with fines of sufficient stringency for each violation type in order to achieve an acceptable enforcement alternative for maintaining enforcement posture when inspection levels suffer from budget restrictions. • Enforcement alternatives are to be aggressive). implemented by states seeking cost effective enforcement methods, and should not have the effect of diminishing the state enforcement posture. A penalty policy change without implementation is not acceptable. EPA and states must agree on a minimum acceptable level of state inspections and vigorous pursuance of violators. 7. Federal Enforcement Options — EPA has the authority to use administrative and/or )udicial enforcement against asbestos NESHAP violators. Administrative actions may be taken when EPA has the opportunity to stop noncompliance and establish NESEAP practices. EPA cannot collect penalties administratively, although several states have that authority. Regions should encourage states which are able to collect administrative penalties to do so liberally. The only way EPA can collect penalties is through judicial action. Considering that EPA and the delegated states are uncovering increasingly high numbers of violations, judicial actions taken against violators should be expected to increase also. However, nationwide, this has not been the case. The rate of asbestos NESHAP referrals has been relatively stagnant as the rate of violations uncovered continues to rise substan- tially. An intended effect of this strategy is to induce an increased rate of referrals from the Regions and delegated agencies. ------- — 13 — Figure .1 on page 14 ilLustrates tne various enforcement options.- Choosing th appropriate Option for each demoLitio / renovation source in violation, for which EPA. takes the enforcement prerogative, means using administrative and/or judicial enforcement action, unless the matter can be resolved informally or should be referred to OSHA or another EPA program office. I. Administrative Actions EPA can pursue administrative actions through Section 113(a)(3) orders or Section 303 orders, although Section 303 of the Act is seldom used in asbestos ESHAP enforcement. otices of Violation ( I0V)l are often issued by PA to t ESHAP violators, although NOVs issued by EPA have legal significance only when issued to violators of State Imple— rnentatjon Plans (SIP). Because the CAA does not require the use of NOVs for I ESHAP sources, an J0V issued to a NESHAP source is nothing more than an informal warning. Section 1l3(a)(3) orders may be issued to violators when they are found out of compliance with substantive requirements while removal work is ongoing. In order to assist the Regions in this procedure, a generic ‘1l3(a)(3) order which can be issued in one day is presented in APP 4DIX M. Also included in APP JDIx tl is a generic temporary restraining order which can be used if the situation is considered serious enough. Section l13(a)(3) orders can require immediate compliance, and although EPA cannot collect penalties with the order, the issuance of a §113(a)(3) order subjects the source to penalty liability in a judicial action under §113(b). Section 113(a)(3) orders should also be issued to sources which continuously submit deficient notifications. Such an order prohibits further submittal of deficient notifications, and makes the contractor liable for penalties pursuant to the order as well as the NESMAP itself. Issuing an NOV in this Situation does comparatively little. An example of a combined Section 113(a)(3) order/Section 114 Information Request is shown in Appendix D. II. Judicial Actions Judicial action under the asbestos NESHAP can take the fore of a civil action as provided for in Section 113(b), or a crj j j action as provided for in Section 113(c). EPA can also pursue a civi l, action under Section 303, however, no Region has done this to date. The September 28, 1987 memorandum entitled “Procedures for Pre—Referral Settlement of Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases” (Appendix E) outlines procedures for negotiated settlement through judicial consent decree. These procedures are designed to facilitate NOV is used here as a generic term to include letter of violation, finding of violation, notice of deficiency, etc. ------- FIGURI: I EPA or ____ State Inepec Lion lnfor.al Conference with Source 1 -30’ Forual — Judicial - 1 13(b) _________ — 113(c) — 113. Adelniatrat lye __________________- 303 EPA Lead EPA Chooses Appropriate Response to NESHAPs — Violation State lead EPA Monitors State Action ______________-JOSHAE Cross Prograu - 17003 of RCRA Ele.ents I!04 106(.) 107 of CERCLAI Court Order - ITOSCAI ------- - — 15 — the settlement process and enable Regions to increase judicial enforcement without straining resources. EPA may bring a §113(b) civil action for fljunctjve r lief requiring compliance with the regulations. EPA may also seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day of violation. EPA ’s present asbestos NESHAP penalty policy is shown in Appendix B. Although civil actions under 113(b) do not ordinarily seek immediate injunctive relief, the broad grant of authority to “commence a civil action for a permanent or temporary injunctjo ” encompasses temporary restraining orders and Preliminary injunctions. In other words, the Government could proceed under 113(b) to seek immediate compliance with the asbestos standards, as well as civil penalties, provided it can satisfy the legal standard for immediate injunctive relief. EPA can initiate a Section ll3(c) criminal enforcement Proceeding when there is evidence that a person knowingly violated the asbestos demolition and renovation requjremen A conviction under the criminal provision of the Clean Air Act can result in imprisonment of up to one year and/or a penalty of up to $25,000 per day of violation, and greater sanctions are faced for a subsequent Conviction. The effective use of the criminal provisions can provide a strong message to the regulated community that EPA does not tolerate blatant disregard for the asbestos NESHAP. III. Contractor Listing Another useful enforcement option is contractor listing as degcjbed in 40 CFR S15.10 — 16. When EPA llstg a Contractor that contractor cannot be awarded any contract to perform work where edera1 funds are involved: Also, a listed contractor cannot be Subcontracted to remove asbestos by another contractor under contract with the federal government to perform asbestos removal. Contractors convicted of criminal NESHAP violations under CAA Section l13(c) are automatically listed as provided in 515.10 (Mandatory Listing). Under S15.11 (Discretionary Listing) EPA can list contractors which have violated a S113(a) administrative order, received any form of civil ruling from any court, or are the subject of a civil enforcement action from EPA. Additionally, if any person who owns or supervises a contractor firm is convicted of a criminal offense by any court, that contractor firm can be listed. Appendix K is intended to clarify the application of contractor listing. State certification requiremen should require that state certification will be revoked if a contractor becomes listed. 8. Choosing Enforcement Option — When detected, each violation should be entered into the computer tracking system described in Appendix A so as to provide a record of viola- tions listed by contractor. In order to assist in deciding when these records indicate that a particular enforcement action is appropriate, the following tables were constructed. ------- —16— TABLE 1 Notification Violation Respon No notification 113(a) order Submittal of late notification 113(a) order which is not received in time to schedule inspection Submittal of notification which 113(a) order is missing dates, location and/or amounts of asbestos Submittal of an incomplete notice *Enter deficiency of removal (Minor violations) on tracking system Continued submittal of incomplete ll 3 (a)-order notifications (Minor violations) Violation of Order Civil Action * As stated previously, this is done for every violation type. TABLE 2 Substantive Violatjons* Detected during early stages 113(a) Order of removal i) Violation subsequently Consider Civil Action corrected ii) Violation Civil Action continues lii) Unsure whether or not Issue 114 Information violation corrected Request and Consider Civil Action Detected after removal or during Issue 113(a) Order final stages of removal while writing civil referral package * Substantive violation is a work practice violation detected during inspection or from a S114 information request response. ------- —17— 9. Assessing Penalties — The Asbestos Demolition/Renovation Penalty Policy (Appendix B) provides the framework for assessing penalties for settlement purposes under the asbestos .rESHAP. Consistent with the comprehensive penalty policy, the Region should determine a “preliminary deterence amount” by assessing an economic benefit component and a gravity component. This amount may then be adjusted upward or downward by consideration of other factors, such as degree of willfulness and/or negligence, history of noncompliance, and ability to pay. As stated by the Inspector General’s office, when resolving litigated cases contractors should be required whenever appropriate to provide a list of asbestos removal jobs for which the contractor did not get the bid, and the names of the successful contractors. Also, delegated agencies should be required to document any mitigating factors that result in penalty waivers or reductions. 10. Reporting — The format for SPMS reporting has been revised. The SPMS form shown in Appendix G provides the format which will now be required for SPMS reporting. Violations will be reported in terms of substantive violations (work practice violations dicovered during inspection or from a S114 information request response) and notification violations (late notices, notices lacking dates, location and/or amount of asbestos in proper units). Also, the number of sources inspected will be reported. When reporting the number of referrals, include only those civil and criminal litigation actions initiated in the same Quarter as the SPMS report indicates. Collection referrals are not to be included. Regions must ensure that there is no double—counting of notifications. The practice of reporting two notifications (one reported by the Region, and the other by the delegated agency) for one removal activity makes it impossible to correctly assess the number of removal jobs for which notification was submitted. The number of inspections reported from the delegated agencies should consist of only those inspections meeting the criteria for a reportable compliance inspection as described in Section 4 of this document. 11. Regional Oversight — Regional Offices should implement an oversight program to ensure that the delegated agenclis are performing acceptable compliance inspections, and resolving violations appropriately. Performing joint EPA—state inspections is the best method to review delegated agency inspections and establish the criteria which constitute an acceptable compliance inspection. Each delegated state’s program should be evaluated to assess inspector training and safety as well. For Regions with both delegated and undele- gated states, Regional inspections should be concentrated In the undelegated states. Regions should construct written reviewable inspection programs which incorporate the inspection ------- —1.9— criteria documented in Section 4 of this document as well as the targeting system established in Section 5 of this docume Regions should also ensure that delegated states do likewise. A written assessment of each delegated agency’s compliance with grant conditions including the verification of program results should be made se m i—an nual ] . y by the Regions. 12. Cross—Program Coordination — In addition to being regulated under the N!S AP program, asbestos is regulated under OSHA provisions, the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Title I, and TSCA Title II. Under TSCA Title I, the TSCA Worker Protection Rule regulates any asbestos abatement work (removal, encapsulation, or enclosure) performed by persons employed by state, county, or local government in those states without an OSHA delegated program or an EPA approved exempt program. These states are listed in Appendix 3. The Office of Toxic Substances expects to extend coverage of its Worker Protection Rule to service personnel who, in the course of operations and maintenance activities, receive exposures comparable to those experienced by private sector service workers performing work subject to OSHA. The OSHA provisions require an 8—hour time—weighted average airborne employee exposure of not greater than 0.2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air. Engineering controls, wet methods, respirators and special clothing are required. The Worker Protection Rule imposes the same major require- ments of the OSHA provisions, but differs in that the Worker Protection Rule applies solely to activities involved in asbestos abatement, in contrast to the OSHA standard which applies generally to any construction activity involving exposure to asbestos. NESHAP inspectors can help OSHA’s enforcement efforts by reporting the absence of required OSHA safety measures at inspected NESHAP removal sites. To help implement such an effort the standardized NESHAP inspection checklist (Appendix H) has a section for recording the presence or absence of required OSHA measures. When the negligence of OSHA requirements are noted by NESHAP inspectors, OSHA should be notified as soon as possible. When the negli- gence of OSHA requirements are observed at a NESHAP site where removal work is being done by state or local government employees at one of the states listed in Appendix J, in addition to notifying OSHA, the inspector should ensure that the TSCA Regional Asbestos Coordinator (RAC) is notified as well for possible violations of the Worker Protection Rule. Under TSCA Title II, the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to inspect school buildings for asbestos containing material, and develop and implement managerial plans. Persons designing and conducting response actions (i.e., removal, encapsulation enclosure, or repair) in a school building must be accredited under AHERA for that activity. ------- — 19— EPA NESHAP and TSCA programs in the Regions should be coordinated to maximize information collection and sharing. consolidate compliance assistance efforts, and unify enforce- ment activities among all the Agency ’s asbestos programs. Pilot programs should be initiated to formally or informally coordinate NESHAP and TSCA activities in the field. In Region VII, a full—time technical assistant under the Senior Environ- mental Employment program of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) acts as lIason between NESHAP and TSCA efforts. In Region X, the NESEAP coordinator and the TSCA RAC voluntarily coordinate program activities to maximize resources and provide a more unified presence to the affected public. When a NESHAP inspector inspects a renovation taking place at a school, the inspector should ascertain whether or not site supervisors and removal workers are accredited under the EPA Model Plan required by AHERA. If AHERA aceredidation requirements have not been met, this should be reported to the TSCA RAC. Considering that most TSCA inspections are performed by AARP personnel who are restricted from entering removal sites when work is ongoing, TSCA can benefit greatly from any pertinent information obtained by the observations of NESHAP inspectors inside the removal area. If the TSCA program develops a pamphlet describing AHERA record—keeping and clearing response action requirements, NESHAP inspectors can hand these out at schools they inspect. NESHAP inspectors can also verify if transportation and disposal of asbestos wastes from these schools is in accordance with NESHAP/DOT requirements. Also, NESHAP personnel should inform the TSCA section when a notification is received from a school. EPA TSCA inspectors should notify the NESHAP Regior al Asbestos Coordinator CRAC) whenever apparent violations of wetting, bagging, no visible emissions, and/or disposal requirements at NESHAP removal sites are observed by their inspectors. TSCA inspectors can also provide the NESHAP RAC with a list of known removals based on records inspec- tions. OSRA inspectors should also notify the NESHAP RAC when potential NESHAP violations are observed. As members of the Federal Asbestos Task Force established in June 1983, EPA and OSEA are mandated to develop a unified federal approach for the regulation of asbestos. The preceed- ing coordination recommendations are examples of objectives which should be agreed to in writing by the EPA offices and OSHA to memorialize that this type of cooperation will take place. ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 6 ASBESTOS NESHAP Interim Asbestos NESHAP Enforcement Guidance- “Friable asbestos” 1% by Area or Volume vs. 1% by Weight NOTE: Confidential memorandum portion of this guidance is included in Section I below. 04118189 6 ------- Interim Asbestos NESHAP Enforcement Guidance - “Friable asbestos” 1% by Area or Volume vs. 1% by Weight (04/18/89) The memorandum portion of this document, signed by Terrell E. Hunt, Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Enforcement and John S. Seitz, Director of the Stationary Source Compliance Division, is confidential and cannot be re1ea ed to the public. The attachment to the memorandum is releasable and is attached hereto. ------- Agency .X :c.a6c T oxic Suos a ces Asbestos Content In Bulb Insulation Samples: Visual Estimates and Weight Composition ------- EPA 560/5.88.011 September, 1988 ASBESTOS CONTENT IN BULK INSULATION SAMPLES: Visual Estimates and Weight Composition By Ian M. Stewart RJ Lee Group Monroeville, PA L5146 Prepared for Midwest Research Insitute Kantas City, MO 64110 EPA Contract No. 68-02.4252 Work Assignment 43 MRI Project 886 1.A43 Field Studies Brancb Exposure Evaluation Division omce of Toxic Substances U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20460 ------- DISCLAIMER This report was prepared under contract to an agency of the United States Goven ment. Neither the United States Government nor any of their employees mak any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability for any third party’s use of or the results of such use of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use by such third party would not infringe on pnvately owned rights. Mention of trade names or commertial products docs not constitute endorsement for u . 11 ------- JYTRODUCI TON: In April 1973, the U.S. Envm,uumntal Protection Agency (EPA) issued the National Ernissia Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutanu (NESHAP) for asbestos (38 FR 8820). The NESHAP regulation governs the removal, demolition, and disposal of asbestos- containing bulk wastes. An sbestcs-cootaining product, as stared by the regulation, was defined for the first tinte to be a product with rearer than 1% asbestos, by weight The intent of d 1% lint was: ...to ban the use of materials which contain significant quantities of asbestos, but to allow the use of materials which would: (I) contain iracc amounts of asbestos which occur in nu rous natural substances, and (2) include very small quantities of asbestos (less than 1 patent) added so enhance the material’s effectiveness (38 FR 8821) ft must be clearly uakrsrood that the EPA NESHAP definition of 1% by weight was not establish l so be a health-based standard. In May 1982, EPA issued a regulation which required schools to inspect and sample suspect friable sunfacing materials for their asbestos content. EPA maintained consistency in its definitain of an ube os-conraini sg material (ACM) by defining it as 1% by weight. At that tin , the Agency investigated the available nzthodologies for measw u cnt of asbestos fibers. The regulation included an int m nzthodology entitled *Int ri1fl Mcth for the Det mftInon of Mbestos in Bulk Insulation Sample? (47 FR 23376). The polarized light m uos pe (PLM) protocol issued by she Agency was prepared by expert mineralogista and has been generally accepted by the analytical coannunity as the appcri iate 1y l m n nir’t of asbestos ‘ nt in bulk &n les. The inL —.ikt4 iacl ’ a description of iii quanthatios proccdsat. This procedure employs aa point cotmtãng to provide a noa 1 she area percent of ub in nj4c. Bard on a n remcnt c le by point counstog. she 1982 nile stases efiabic onnvu of area percent so y wàgbz is not w átly feulbie unless the eci& çavi s ar relative voluw of she n ia1 e n. EPA nded this in a iecthm so tite segulanix in Se 19$2 (47 PR 3*535). EPA altered psragr b 1.7.2.4 of Appeedia A of the rule by aüg. Parsçap 1.7.2.4 of Appendix A of she rUle wan intended so provide for a point counrmg procedwe or an equivalent esrrn on thod for &wmi’ ”g the a unt of asbe s in bulk nirpks. This 1. ------- correction, acknowledged the practical and economic limitations of the point counting method and permitted the use of the visual estimation methodology. Visual estimation methodology is employed by most PLM laboratories and gives results which are very Simil2r to a vol ‘centege. In the following discussion, the validity of the assumptions that are made in exuapolating an area/volume percentage estimation to a weight percentage estimation of the asbestos content of insulation and other building materials will be examined. The reader should note that this discussion considers only the expected variation from the ue weight percentage as is found when applying the visual estimate technique to determine the asbestos content in a bulk sample. 1 questions of labaratorj/analyst variability of such visual estimations are not considered in this discussion. REL I4TI’ONSH1PS BETWEEN AREA, VOLUME, AND WEIGIfF PERCE1 7AGE The principles of stereology are well documented (see, for example, “Quantitative Stereology,” Underwood) 1 and will not be reiterated here other than to state that in classical s(ereology, with the assumption of a homogeneous disthbution of phases within a solid, there is a direct relationship between the volume fraction of a phase present in the solid and the area fraction of that phase observed in a section taken through the solid. That is to say, V A where V , refers to the volume of the phase p present in the total volume V. and Ap represents the area projection of that phase in a planar section of that solid of total area A. It should be noted that, for the classical rules of stereology to apply in a nansmission sample, the section through the sample should be no thicker than the thickness or diameter of the smallest inpooenz . The point counting method has been cn ci 4 as a technique for observing ACM because it does not take into consideration the fact that the ubestos fibers present may be comparatively thin in the Z dhecdon relative to the ocher components present . Thus, if the volume percentage of asbestos present is ex apolated from the projected area obtained by the point counting technique, the volume percent of asbestos present will generally be Underwood, ,LE., Q w swae Ssere ogy, Addison-Wesley Publishing Compsiy. (1970) 2 ------- & swi, c majority c i Iaborax es analyzing ACM have adopted a visual esmviai 4ijch allows a iain amount at 1añnx on the p t of the mictoscopist compens for this thickness f tcr when ex n innig t 9 les on the mia oaco slide . In most instances , the visual estimation of asbestos content is an a s ooiiaoscope with which the rnicroscopist may mote ftMily estimate the third dinrns&on. fl refore, these estimates may be wore readily extrapolated to a volume p #ntage than those from the point count method. This technique is essentially thai which is proposed in the bn rim American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTh() Methot Cunendy. this method is being considered for adoption by the National Instinate of Standards and Technology (formerly the National Bureau of Standards) as part of i rs National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program for the determination of bulk asbestos in stnrpka. This procedure will provide a measurement of the asbestos in the san le which may be easily extrapolated to a volun measweme’ t . CURREI .TLY ACCEPTED WER!MEWTAL METHOD The currently accepted and most generally used methodology for the identification of asbestos in building matenab is compatible with both the EPA interim method and the proposed ASTM method. Identification of the asbestos type present using polaxited light microscopy follows accepted uuneralogical practices. The quantification of the asbestos content by visual estimation which is used is acceptable w r the amendment to the 1982 Regulation published in the Federal Reeister arid is substantially the same as that recommended in the ASTM method. It can be seen that there is continuity of appronch and direct correlation between existing data and that which may be produced m the ASTM While the visual stiw o11 proccd ne is geserally csll d d polarised light microscopy method, the microscopist, in fact uses a combination of a low m gnificarioit stereo- mi ro. x b’pielhein y t, ’ithtafl aid i 1w&Ii v of the per ge o( fiber type, followed s ailsd mination , using the polariad light mi’oa ope , of individual fibers re 1kr m the bulk materiaL The prtxedwe has been ondiried in a draft to ASTM C D22.O5 dated January 14. 198 Sta,wI ,d Mabod of Testing far Asbestos- .c iñg Materials by Polar ‘ g os y. 3 ------- The method calls for bulk samples of building materials ib be fIrst examined with a Low power binocular microscope. By use of such a microscope, the following observations can ben12 . (1) Thefib ,canbec recmd. (2) The homogeneity of the material can be determined. (3) A preliminary ideniiflcation of the fibers present can be made. (4) An esumaze of fiber content by volume can be vtwI. (5) Fibers may be separated from the marnx for more detailed analysis of subsamples with the polarized light microscope. The method has been used, essentially in its present form, by the majority of the participants in the EPA Bulk Sample Analysis Round Robin progani. These results indicate generally good reproducibility and good accuracy in assessing the volume percentage of an asbestos mineral present in an insulating m2terial. The accuracy of such an analysis does not differ very greatly from the expected inhomogeneity (or homogeneity) of the material being analyzed (manufacturers’ specifications generally show a range of composition for any one product which frequently was additionally modified a x the point of application). In the ASTM technique, quantification of asbestos content is discussed in the following terms: “A quantitative estimate of the amount of asbestos present is most readily obtained by visual comparison of the bulk sample in slide preparations to other slide preparations and bulk samples with known amounts of asbestos present in them.” The document goes on to stare that estimates of the quantity of asbestos obtained by the method are neither volume nor weight percent estimates, but are based on cstunañng the projected area, from observation, of the disn’ibution of particles over the two di nsional surface of the glass slide, and on an observation of bulk materiaL and that a basis for correcting to a weight or volume percent has not been established. It is this latter aspect which will be discussed more fully in this document. The ASTM method, however, provides for the percentage to be first assessed from the bulk material as observed on the ssereonñcroscope; it would seem, therefore, that this percentage is a closer approximation to a volume percentage rather than a projected area one. In addition the ASTM document states. “However, the error inn’oduced by assuming that the estimates are equivalent to weight percent is probably within the precision of the visual estimate technique.” 4 ------- CORRElATION OF WFJGHT PERC yrAGE WiTH VOLUME PERCE1iTAGE To correlate the weight fiction of the phase to its area or volume fraction, it is necessary, as is pointed out in the 1 EPA Test Method , that the specific gravies and relative volunr fractions of all the phases present in the rnareriai aze In any inulticomponent system consisting of 11 components, the weight percent of cc ponent I is given by d following forznulL P xV 1 x 100 i i () . Pi x V 1 i 1 where P 1 is the specific gravity of the ith component and V 1 is the volume of the ith component Fww this (annuls, it is clear that if the volume percent and the density of each individual element in a bulk insulation sample is known, it would be possible to obtain a weight percentage for any particular component and specifically for those components which are classed as asbestos. To determine this information experimentally would, however, be extremely time consuming, requiring the separate identification of each component in the mathx, determining its specific gravity fzu u reference tables, and applying these factors in dte formula. An alternative conversion is therefore suggested in which an average t nsity is assumed for the nonasbesu manu. In this model, the weight percentage, Wa, of a particular asbestos type present a volume percentage of V 1 and having a density of P 1 present in a matrix of density Pm cnbyd fcNniula P.xV 1 x lOO (2) (lOOVii)XPm+(Va Pi) The densit, aluc ascribed to the nonasbestos menu should be selected taking into consideratioa major constituents of the matrix but, for a large range of commonly ev oun1ered inorpnic methoss, a value of 2.5 g#cm 3 may be aw 1 L L .... M --d 1 D*.—ir io , of A e s ui B “-‘ - — A dOM(A42 , .c — , l9S2. 5 ------- PRACTICAL APPLICATION These formulas will be applied to a range of samples. In applying formula 1 to determine actual weight percentages, published values for the several components were used. To determine the weight percentages using the mode! described by formula 2, a ma ix density of 2.5 g/crn 3 was assumed. Sample 1 Acoustical Material Sample 1 is a sample of an acoustical material taken from an actual ceiling beam nt Cornoonent Vol% Wt% ( Actual) Wt% ( Model’ ) Chrysotile 15.0 15.12 15.51 Glass Fiber 60.0 60.47 C bonate 10.0 10.85 Cement 3.0 3.26 Clay 10.0 8.53 Gypsum 2.0 1.78 (Appendix 1 shows in detail how these weight percentages e calculated. ) Sample 2 Round Robin Sample from Independent QC Ring Sample 2 is from an independent round robin sample series in which four laboratories participated. Reported values for amosite content were 30%, 30-40%, 45%, and 15-20%. The results from the second laboratory were taken using the midpoint of the reported compositional range (the midpoint of the reported range for sample two was selected as most probably representing the actual composition, lying between the reported values of one and three, wuh low regarded as an outher). Comoonent VoI% Wt% ( Actual) Wt% ( Model ) Amosite 35.0 38.82 41.55 Carbonate 35.0 32.94 Cement 30.0 28.24 Sample 3 Sample A EPA Bulk Sample Analysis Round Robin No. 16 Sample 3 is sample A from the EPA Bulk Sample Analysis Round Robin series, Round number 16. Coniponent Vol%1 Wr% ( Actual) Wt% ( Model ) Amosiz 3.0 4.04 3.92 Glass 87.0 92.29 CellUlOse 10.0 3.67 Volume p centage data for samples 3,4,5 and 6 ate averages i cn from EPA Round Robin tepom and would not nosmally be reported to this level of signifi xe. 6 ------- Sample 4 Sample D EPA Bulk Sample Anal,si, Round Robin No. 16 Sample 41s S npIe D from the EPA Bulk Sample Analysis Round Robin series, Round Number 16. Vol% Wt% ( Acniafl W Modcfl Chry otile 3.0 3.53 3.12 aay 97.0 96.47 Sample 5 Sample D EPA Bulk Sample Analysle Round Robl No. 17 Sample S is Sample D from the EPA Bulk Sample Analysis Round Robin series, Round Number 17. C nem Vol% Wt% ( Ac mfl Wt% ( ModeJ ) Chrysotile 2.9 2.56 3.01 Ar 30.7 34.40 36.90 66.3 63.04 Sample 6 Sample A EPA Bulk Sample Analyth Round Robin No. 17 Sample 6 is Sample A from the EPA Bulk Sample Analysis Round Robin sertes, Round Number 17. 1.1 1 Vo l% Wt% ( Mnial ) Wt% ( Mcdel 97.0 3.0 97.52 2.48 97.78 oci 1ite C It is clear fi ,m these data that, for most samples, the weight pcr cn ge of the asbestos con nt is not substarnially diffuent fmm the volun perv n which is r l1y reported and is within the expected variation both of the analytical procedure and the sample homogeneity. A close CViT of the weight petc nte can be derived from a simple model which assun s an avera mamx density of 2.5 gkm 3 . Plots of 1k ffesence between observed voluix percentage and ca1culat d weight pcrvcntas yiixik, ‘ nsity 2.6 f/cm 3 . (Figwe 1) aM aocideli , density 3.4 glcm 3 . (Figure 2) s n osJcuIa d using this model . 7k naFimmn deviation between the numerical vali of weight and volu percmage O u sear the 50% wait and, in the case (crocidelise), is less than 10%. Exceptions will be fonnd in samples whose matrices have sig,tif in*ly higber or lower densities than 1k asbes ,s observed . Figwe 3 puenls the eAuea c of crocidolite (density 3.4 gkm 3 ) in a watra o(cdllulose with an wi- .- 4 a uage deniiiy c i 0.9 g/cm 3 . 7 ------- The magnitude of the discrepancy in the critical region near 1% is shown in figw 4. If only the volume percentage estimate is used, mass percentages as high as 3% would be reported as below the definition of ACM. In this case, a conversion to weight percentage is necessaiy if the weight percentage is not to be gossly underestima ed. SAMPLE TREATME T Some samples, for example floor tiles, roofIng felts, and sortie cementitious products, may require special ueatment (ashing, solvent or acid extiaction) to separate the asbestos from other materials in order to facilitate analysis. In such cases, the resulting weight loss of the sample due to ueaai nt must be recorded and any volume to weight perccntage correction applied to the remaining material must be further corrected to take this weight loss into considerauon. For example, if 30% asbestos is detected in a sample after processing which resulted in a 25% weight loss, then the corrected asbestos content is 0.75 x 30 z22.5% CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS An assessment has been made of the validity of extiapolaring to a weight percentage the area or volume percentage of asbestos present in a sample as determined by polarized light microscopy. A model has been presented which can be applied to area or volume percentage data to give a more accurate estimation of the weight percentage. With the &cepnon of asbestos-containing materials having a subs ra,uial dertsity differe,uial between matrix and asbestos, generally low dertsity cellulosic or per! inc matrices, the magnitude of this correction is smaller thai, the expected variability imposed by both the analytical variatson and the inhomogeneijy of the sample. As a result, the weight percentage of asbestos prese,u can generally be equnred with the obser’ed area or volume percentage. The following recommendations e made : 1) For samp s whose approximate average rna ix density is close to that of the asbestos species observed (within 0.5 glcrn 3 ), assume equivalence of weight and ea or volume p ventege. 2) For samples whose approximate average marnx density differs from that of the asbestos species present by more than 0.5 g ,/cm 3 , convert the observed area or volume percentage to weight percentage using formula 2, using a marnx density consistent with the principal mauix components. 8 ------- TABLE I Calctilirt d r 1a onship between weight pettentage and volume peitentage of chiysotjle (density 2.6 glcm 3 ) in marnx of average density of 23 g/cm 3 . DIFFERENTIAL VOLUME % WEIGHT % (WEIGHT%-VOLUME %) 0 0.00 0.00 5 5.17 0.19 10 10.36 0.36 15 15.51 0.51 20.63 0.63 25 25.74 0.74 30 30.83 0.83 35 35.90 0.90 40.94 0.94 45 45.97 0.97 50 50.98 0.98 55 55.97 0.97 60 60.94 0.94 65 65.89 0.89 70 70.82 0.82 75 75.73 0.73 80 80.62 0.62 85 85.49 0.49 90 90.35 0.35 95 95.18 0.1$ 100 100.00 00.00 vI1 1u — 1. ------- TABLE II Calculated r 1atioiuhip betw n weight pen entage and volume percentage of crocidolite (density 3.4 g(cth 3 ) in a matrix of average density 2.5 g/cm 3 . DIFFERENTIAL VOLUME % WEIGHT % WEIGHT %.VOLIJME% 0 0.00 0.00 5 6.6 1.68 10 13.13 3.13 15 19.35 4.35 20 25.37 5.37 25 31.19 6.19 30 36.82 6.82 35 42.27 7.27 40 47.55 7.55 45 - 52.67 7.67 50 57.63 7.63 55 62.44 7.44 60 67.11 7.11 65 71.64 6.64 70 76.04 6.04 75 80.31 5.31 80 84.47 4.47 85 88.51 3.51 90 22.45 2.40, 95 96.27 1.27 100 100.00 0.00 1 se values pløtied to puvduce die cw ci Pigwe 2. 1 ------- TABLE III Calculated re1a onship between weight percentage and volume percentage of croci olite (density 3.4 gk&) in a mairix of average density 0.9 g/cm 3 . DIFFERENTIAL VOLUME % - WEIGHT % WEIGHT % .VOLUME% 0 0.00 0.00 5 16.59 11.59 10 29.57 19.57 15 40.00 25.00 20 48.57 28.57 25 55.74 30.74 61.82 31.82 35 67.04 32.04 40 71.58 31.58 45 75.56 30.56 50 79.07 29.07 55 82.20 27.20 60 85.00 25.00 65 87.52 22.52 70 89.81 19.81 75 91.89 16.89 80 93.79 13.79 85 95.54 10.54 97.14 7.14 95 98.63 3.63 — 100.00 0.00 e p d cww Rgc 3. 11 ------- TABLE IV Calculated relaüonship between weight percentage and volume percentage of crccidolite (density 3.4 g/cm 3 ) in a mathx of average density 0.9 glcm 3 over the range 0 to 2 volume%. DIFFERENTIAL VOLUME % WEIGHT % WEIGHT %-VOLUME% 00 0.00 0.00 0.1 0.38 0.28 0.2 0.75 0.55 0.3 1.12 0.82 0.4 1.49 1.09 0.5 1.86 1.36 0.6 2.23 1.63 0.7 2.59 1.89 0.8 2.96 2.16 0.9 3.32 2.42 1.0 3.68 2.68 1.1 4.03 2.93 1.2 4.39 3.19 1.3 4.74 3.44 1.4 5.09 3.69 1.5 5 .44 3.94 1.6 5.79 4.19 1.7 6.13 4.43 1.8 6.48 4.68 1.9 6.82 4.92 2.0 7.16 5.16 Theic ak s wue plostad m Foth ie cave d Flg 4. 12 ------- Mass - Volume Percent Dtfferential Chrysotile In Matrix Of S.G. 2.5 Observed Volume Percentage 0 0 C 0 U 0 a 0 a C 0 I 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Figure 1. ------- Mass . V ume Percent Differential Crocidolile In Matrix Of S.G. = 2.5 Obsirvid Volume Percentage Flguts 2. 10 9 8 7 D S C U S C. 6 .5 S C S S 4 3 2 1 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 14 ------- Mass. Volume Percentage D fferentiaI Crocidolite In Matrix Of S.G. 0.9 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Observed Volume PerCentage 0 0 U S S — C S S Figurs3. ------- Crocidolite In Cellulose Matix 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 Observed Volume Percentage FLguis 4. 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0 U C D — 16 ------- APPENDIX I Examples of Calculations ) Actual Weight Percentages Sample #1 WE. % Density Ret. Wt. x 100 Compound Vol. % (g/cm 3 ) Relative Weighs Total Ret. Wt. (Thrvcorile 15.0 2.5 :5 x 2.6 = 39.0 15.12 Glass Fiber 60.0 2.6 óO x 2.6 = 156.0 60.47 ‘ rbonate O.0 2.C 10 x 2.8 = 28.0 10.85 C. .ment 2.8 3.0 x 2.8 = 8.4 .26 Olav 10.0 2.2 10.0 x 2.2 = 2Z0 3.53 Gypsum 2.0 2.3 2.0 x 2.3 4.6 !.78 TOTALS h)O.0 258 Y)01 b) Approxunaze weight percentages based on a model with assun 23 g/cTn 3 dez sity. Sample #1 Vol. % Ret. WI Approx. Wt. % Chrysotire 15.0 15 x 2.6 — 39.0 15.51 Non.asl stoscnan’ix 85.0 85x2.5 -212J TOTAL& 100.0 251.S Sai,pfr 0 , Sample 5 conmins both ctirysotüe and amosit . The ap wimare- weight j centage is ca1cnJ 1 pera*1y fireach asbesw type as follows: Vol. % Ret. Wt. Approx. Wt. % Cbry le (density 2.6 Wcm 3 ) 2.9 2.9 x 2.6 7.54 3.01 Non-chrysotile marnx 97.1 94.1 x 2.5 242.75 Chrvsotfle totals 100.0 / 250.29 -m ite (density 3.3 gicm 3 ) 0 7 101.31 36.cO on-chrvsotile,matrzx .. p3.25 rrosite tr,tals 74.56 ------- I - PAGE EPA 560/5-88-011 I - — . S Lnnu,..uu..imtiri . ‘Asbestos Cont in Bulk Insulation Sanples: Visual Estimates Sept pber 1988 and Weight r ,osition a. -i- _ i — Ian M. Stewart L P.dss.u. 4 ssd I L /T I t t I . a. RJ Lee Group, f’bnroeville, PA 15146 b. Mid west Research Institute, Kansas City, ‘O 64110 _____ ___ 68-02-4252, Proj t No. 8861-A43 I l. Se’ so.4t Nivii A ____ _____ 13. Tp W t & •iuj U.S. Envirornental Prot tion Agency Office of Toxic Substances/Exposure Evaluation Division 401 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20460 I L . -, *ary N IL M n 1 (Ut - This doct ent discusses the validity of the assunptions that are made in extrapolating and area/volune percentage estimation to a weight percentage estimation of the asbestos content of insulation arid other building materials. The docuiient provides recaunendations for determining the asbestos content in bulk insulation sanpies. 17. Doo A I 1s a. 0..1J.... . Polarizad Light Microscopy Asbestos Analysis Asbestos Bulk Insulation Saiple Analysis b. Id uao.s/O nL T C. CO$ATI F I / II. Avs Iey Ila . IL L . . _ . (T U ... ib 1 . d P ss I Ilrr1 Q 4Fi,w 4 I 1 ri Avaij i.i :o ?ubiic !Unc1assiCi d _________ (S.. AD S1-Z39 211 3_ I. n.u .A *. _ , OPV t L Y0N MflS.-3 0I C ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 7 ASBESTOS NESHAP Clarification of EPA NESHAP Policy - Nonfriable Asbestos 02/23/90 7 ------- L..NITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIos AGE C\ WASHINGTON D.C. 20460 1 ” 4 b1 FEB 2 3 1990 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Clarification of EPA NESMAP Policy — Nonfriable Asbestos FROM: Michael S. Alushin’ 4/ Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air John S. Seitz, Director Stationary Source Comp nce Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Addressees Attached please find a discussion of our current interpretation of how nonfriable asbestos containing materials should be handled pursuant to the asbestos NESHAP, 40 C.F.R. Part 61, Subpart N (Section 61.140 . g. Please file the attached document in Part D (Section 112) of your Policy Compendium as Document 11. Addressees: Gerald Emison Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards James Strock Assistant Administrator for Enforcement Alan W. Eckert Associate General Counsel Air and Radiation Division Air and Waste Management Division Director Region II Air Management Division Directors Regions 111 and IX Air and Radiation Division Director Region V ------- O S ? 4 . .t’ ‘ j’ MEMORANDUM UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Research Tnangle Park, North Carolina 27711 FEB 2 3 1990 SUBJECT: Clarification of EPA NESHAP FROM: TO: Jack R. Fanner, Director Emission Standards Division John S. Seitz, Director Stationary Source Compi lance Michael S. Alushin Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air See Below This memorandum clarifies the requirements of the Asbestos NESHAP regarding nonfriable asbestos containing material (ACM), such as floor tile, - roof ing material, packing, and gaskets. BACKGROUND The issue of friability and the intent of the original standards for demolition and renovation activities have been the source of many questions and coninents. In recent months, we have spent considerable time discussing this issue and reviewing subsequent interpretations of the standards. The rulemaking proposed on January 10, 1989 only addresses administrative changes or clarifications to the original standards. Thus, the final rulemaking can not result in a change that would affect the stringency of the original standards. In the original rule, published in 1973, a distinction was made between building materials that would release a significant amount of asbestos fibers and materials that would not. Floor tile, roofing material, packings, and gaskets were identified as materials that would not release significant amounts of fiber when disturbed. The term friable M was used to make this distinction. In December 1985, we issued a determination which stated that if nonfriable ACM could be damaged to the extent that it would be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder, it should be removed prior to demolition. The 1985 determination was intended to affect only practices and ACM that could result in the release of significant quantities of asbestos. While it was unclear whether this determination was intended to affect ACM such as floor tile, roofing material, packings and gaskets that are not friable, some delegated enforcement agencies were inferring this material must be removed prior to demolition to ensure compliance with the NESHAP. Enforcement (LE-134A) ------- —2— Air, Pesticides arid Toxics Management Division Directors Regions I, IV, and VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, and X Regional Counsels Regions I - X Air Branch Chiefs/Team Leaders Office of Regional Counsel Regions I - X Air Division Branch Chiefs Regions I - X David Buente, Chief Environmental Enforcement Section U.S. Department of Justice Attachment ------- 2 Although no research has been conducted on the conditions which will cause nonfriable materials to become friable, it is considered probable that some conditions (e.g. severe weathering, prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals) will cause this effect. Furthermore, certain practices such as burning, sanding, or grinding could crumble, pulverize, or reduce to powder nonfriable ACM. POLICY Therefore, we recomend the following approach: Floor tile, roofing material, packing, and gaskets (normally nonfriable ACM) must be inspected before demolition to determine if the ACM is in poor condition, indicated by peeling, cracking, or crumbling of the material. If normally nonfriable ACM Is in poor condition, then the material must be tested for friability. If the ACM is friable, it must be handled in accordance with the NESHAP. The above four nonfriable ACM should be removed before demolition only if they are in poor condition and are friable. - If the nonfriable ACM is subjected to sanding, grinding, or abrading as part of demolition or renovation, then the nonfriable ACM must be handled in accordance with the NESHAP. If a building is demolished by burning, all ACM must be removed prior to the demolition. We believe that this approach is consistent with the original rule and the 1985 interpretatIon. PLANNED FUTURE ACTION After passage of Title III of the new Clean Air Act amendments we intend to review the asbestos NESHAP. This will allow us to further consider appropriate changes to this NESHAP. ADDRESSEES: Kent Anderson, OSW (WH-565E) Mike Beard, CR0 (MD-li) Jim Crowder, ESO (MD-13) Fred D1n 1ck, ESD (MD-13) Stan Ourkee, ORD (EH•340F) Pat Embry OGC, (LE-132A) Robert Fegley, OPPE (PM-221) Charlie Garlow, 0 (0 1 (LE-134A) Charles Gregg, OW (WH-556) Bob Jordan OTS (TS-788A) Asbestos NESHAP Coordinator, Regions I-X cc: Bob Ajax (MD-13) Robert Bronstrup, EPA-DIG - Chicago Regional Counsels, gions I - Kathy Kaufman, OPAR (ANR-443) Bob Kellam, (SD (NO.13) Dennis Kotchmar, ECAO (MD-52) Gary McAlister, ESD (MO-19) Bruce Moore, ESO (MD-13) Brenda Riddle, (SD (NO.13) Sims Roy, ESD (MD-13) Ron Shafer, SSCD (EN-341) Al Vervaert, (SD (MD-13) Dave Wagner, 015 (15-794) Roger Wilmoth, AEERL, Cincinnati Gil Wood, EMS (NO.14) Ron Campbell (NO.10) giona.l. Cot s’3l ir Branth C efs ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 8 ASBESTOS NESHAP Inclusion of CERCLA Section 103(a) Counts in Asbestos NESHAP Cases 06/05/90 ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY /ASHiNGTON DC. 20460 /41 ’. - 5 990 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Inclusion of CERCLA Section 103(a) Counts in Asbestos NESHAP Cases FROM: Michael S. Alushin 41 Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Glenn L. Unterberger Associate Enforcement Counsel for Superfund TO: Regional Counsels Regions I-X I. INTRODUCTION The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requires notification to the National Response Center immediately following the release of a hazardous substance in an amount that exceeds its reportable quantity. 42 U.S.C. § 9603. Asbestos is a CERCLA hazardous substance. 42 U.S.C. § 9601(14); 40 C.F.R. § 302.4. Accordingly, we encourage regions to review asbestos NESHAP referrals for determination of whether CERCLA causes of action also exist. The purpose of this memorandum is to assist that effort by identifying the elements necessary to establish a CERCLA Section 103(a) claim and providing a legal analysis of relevant statutes and regulations. In addition, this memorandum discusses criteria for selecting cases to add CERCLA counts and suggests a $15,000 minimum settlement penalty amount for each violation.’ ‘A draft CERCLA Section 103 penalty policy currently exists. Regions should apply that policy when it becomes final (to be issued as OSWER Dir. No. 9841.2). Prwitid on Re;, Paer ------- —2— We recommend that CERCLA Section 103(a) violations be alleged when prima facie evidence exists. 2 II. ELEMENTS FOR A SECTION 103(a) CLAIM Pursuant to Section 103(a) of CERCLA, a person in charge of a facility is required to notify the National Response Center as soon as he or she has knowledge of a release of a hazardous substance from such facility in an amount equal to or greater than the reportable quantity for that substance. The failure to report the release subjects the non-reporting party to judicial or administrative proceedings and penalties of up to $25,000 per day of the violation. 42 U.S.C. § 9609(a),(b) and (C). Penalties of up to $75,000 per day may be imposed in the case of a second violation. Thus, in order to prevail on a CERCLA Section 103(a) count the United States must establish that a) the defendant is a person; b) the defendant was in charge of a facility from which there was a release of a hazardous substance; C) the quantity of the substance released was equal to or exceeded the reportable quantity for that substance; and d) the defendant did not notify the National Response Center as soon as it had knowledge of the 2 The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCPA) similarly demands that a release of a reportable quantity of an “extremely hazardous substance” or CERCLA “hazardous substance” be reported to the local Emergency Planning Committee and the State Emergency Response Commission for the area likely to be affected by the release. 42 U.S.C. § 11004. In contrast to the CERCLA Section 103(a) reporting requirements, which apply to any facility, the EPCRA Section 304 conditions apply solely to a facility that “produces,” “uses” or “stores” hazardous substances or chemicals. Thus, asbestos demolition or renovation operations are not universally subject to Section 304 reporting requirements. Cases may exist, however, where it is appropriate to allege both EPCRA and CERCLA counts. CERCLA also authorizes criminal sanctions for the failure to report the release of hazardous substances. 42 U.S.C. §9603(b). While the elements of a Section 103(b) claim are substantially the same as a Section 103(a) claim, the United States’ burden of proof would be higher in a Section 103(b) criminal prosecution. Because the Air Enforcement Division docket consists of civil referrals, this memorandum discusses exclusively Section 103(a) (civil) liability. Regions are nevertheless reminded of the availability of including Section. 103(b) counts in criminal asbestos NESHAP cases filed under Section 113(c) of the Clean Air Act. ------- —3— release. The CERCLA definitions of key terms follow next. A. Defined Terms . 1. Person -- the term includes individuals, firms, corporations, associations and other entities, such as federal, state and local government units. 42 U.S.C. § 9601(21). 2. Facility -- the term includes any building, structure, installation, impoundment, landfill or site where a hazardous substance is located. 42 U.S.C. § 9601(9). 3. Release -— the term covers virtually any contact with the environment, including any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping or disposing into the environment. The term also includes the abandonment or discarding of barrels or other closed receptacles that contain hazardous substances. Expressly excluded from the definition of release is any release which results in exposure to persons solely within a workplace. 42 U.S.C. § 9601(22). 4. Environment -- the term includes navigable waters, ocean waters, surface waters, the drinking water supply, groundwater, land surface or subst rf ace strata, or ambient air. 42 U.S.C. §9601(8). The preamble to the reportable quantity regulations makes clear that the notification requirements do not apply to releases within wholly enclosed structures. 50 . g. 13456, 13462 (April 4, 1985). Several court rulings further indicate that a building interior is not the “environment” for CERCLA purposes. Covalt v. Carey Canada. Inc. , 860 F.2d 1434 (7th Cir. 1988); First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville v. United States Gypsum Co. , No. JH—88—2030, slip op. at 11 (D.Md. Oct. 13, 1988). However, a release “into the environment” occurs if the discharge remains on grounds controlled by the facility owner or operator. 50 . Rig . at 13462. 5. Hazardous Substance -— the term is defined to incorporate substances and chemicals regulated under environmental statutes other than CERCLA, including the Clean Air Act. 42 U.S.C. § 9601(14). As noted before, asbestos is a CERCLA hazardous substance. ; 40 C.F.R. § 302.4 6. Reportable Quantity —— the reportable quantity f or asbestos is one pound. 40 C.F.R. § 302.4. Importantly, the reportable quantity is limited to the friable form of the mineral. . Even though CERCLA regulations do not define the term “friable asbestos,” the reportable quantity should not be interpreted to include one pound of “any material containing more than 1. percent asbestos by weight that hand pressure can crumble....” 40 C.F.R. § 61.141 (definition of friable asbestos under Clean Ai.r Act). Because the reportable quantity is restricted to the hazardous ------- —4— substance component of a solution or mixture, 40 C.F.R. § 302.6, one or more pounds of pure friable asbestos must be released for Section 103(a) to apply. Liability is further conditioned on the release of the reportable quan ity within one twenty-four hour period. 40 C.F.R. § 302.6. B. Undefined Terms . As indicated, CERCLA provides definitions for most of the pertinent Section 103(a) terms. Neither the statute nor the regulations, however, give meaning to the phrase “in charge.. .of [ a] facility.” For the purpose of alleging CERCLA violations in asbestos NESHAP cases, it may be assumed generally that the “owners” and “operators” liable for asbestos NESHAP violations are similarly liable for violations of Section 103(a). A person “in charge” of the facility could fairly be construed as the one who “owns, leases, operates, controls, or supervises” the demolition operation. 40 C.F.R. § 61.02 (NESMAP definition for owner or operator). Moreover, one court has ruled that the reporting requirements extend to any person able to discover, prevent and abate the release of a hazardous substance. United States v. Carr , 880 F.2d 1550 (2nd. Cir. 1989). Although Section 103(a) liability requires that a person have “knowledge of any release...of any hazardous substance,” CERCLA does not define the knowledge requirement. Case law interpreting provisions of other environmental statutes may provide guidance. In United States v. Hayes Intern Corp. , 786 F.2d 1499 (11th Cir. 1986), the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals considered the meaning of “knowingly” in Section 3008(d) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. § 6928(d) (RCRA), which authorizes criminal sanctions for “(a]ny person who knowingly transports... any hazardous waste.., to a facility that does not have a permit....” The Hayes Court rejected the defendant’s defenses that it was ignorant of the permit requirement and the RCRA hazardous waste status of the material transported. I . at 1503. The court concluded that the United States met its burden of proof by demonstrating that a) the defendant knew what the waste was (in that case, a mixture of paint and solvent) and b) the defendant knew that the disposal facility was not permitted. The preamble to the CERCLA reportable quantity regulations only states that the term “person in charge” is defined on a case specific basis, depending on the specific operation involved and other considerations. 50 . Reg . at 13460. ------- —5— . at 1505. The court further noted that the United States may prove knowledge with circumstantial evidence. . To the extent an analogy can be drawn between the RCRA definition of “knowingly” and the CERCLA definition of “knowledge,” application of Hayes suggests the following conclusions: First, liablitty attaches notwithstanding the defendant’s failure to know of the reporting requirements or failure to know that asbestos is a CERCLA hazardous substance. Second, the United States must establish that the defendant knew or should have known of the release and that the material was asbestos. Third, the United States’ burden of proving “knowledge of any release” should be less than the burden imposed in the Hayes case. As a general proposition, the burden of proof in a civil case is less than the burden of proof in a criminal case. Because the Haves Court interpreted RCRA Section 3008(d) (a criminal provision), the United States’ burden of proof under CERCLA Section 103(a) (a civil provision) should therefore entail a lower ‘standard than required in Hayes . C. Exempted Releases . It is important to note that discharges in accordance with federal permits are exempt from the CERCLA reporting requirements. 42 U.S.C. § 9601(10) and 9603(a). Also exempt are continuous releases which are stable in size and quantity. 42 U.S.C. § 9603(f). Neither of these two exemptions or any other CERCLA Section 103 exemptions apply to asbestos NESHAP renovation and demolition cases. This memorandum thus addresses criteria for including CERCLA counts. III. CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION OF CERCLA SECTION 103(a) COUNTS IN ASBESTOS NESHAP CASES As stated previously, the CERCLA definition of release includes any “dumping, or disposing into the environment” and “the abandonment or discarding of barrels...or other closed receptacles containing hazardous substances. ...“ 42 U.S.C. § 9601(22). Consequently, particular attention should be paid to cases that allege violations of the asbestos disposal requirements. 40 C.F.R. § 61.151(a) and 61.156. A Section 103(a) claim may be particularly appropriate if the evidence indicates that a) asbestos waste material remained on site after the completion of the demolition in violation of 40 C.F.R. § 61.152(a) and 61.156 or b) asbestos waste was transported to or deposited at a location not qualified as an “active waste disposal site” within the meaning of 40 C.F.R. § 61.156. Assuming, for example, that the waste material weighed at least ten pounds, the reportable quantity is satisfied provided the waste consisted of ten percent friable asbestos. ------- —6— Moreover, if a large quantity of asbestos was present, there is circumstantial evidence that the release occurred within one twenty-four hour period. Liability may arise even if the asbestos was stored in sealed containers; the definition of release covers the abandonment of receptacles. CERCLA claims should not be limited to cases that involve conduct prohibited by the asbestos NESHAP disposal provisions. Because of the unique circumstances of each referral, the question whether to allege a Section 103(a) violation must be decided on a case-by—case basis. Given the prospect of obtaining significant penalties and further deterring violations, we encourage adding CERCLA counts when prima facie Section 103(a) evidence exists. Also, we presently recommend a bottom-line settlement figure of $15,000 for each Section 103(a) violation. The proposed figure is consistent with the Clean Air Act Civil Penalty Policy provision that sets the minimum penalty amount for reporting violations at $15,000. When the CERCLA Section 103 penalty policy becomes effective, regions should calculate settlement penalties in accordance with that guidance. Finally, we note that a number of criminal indictments have charged violations of the CERCLA reporting requirements. United States v. Charles A. Donohoo. Jr. , Cr. 89-00057, W.D.Ky.; United States v. Cuyahoga Wrecking Co. , Cr. 88-497, C.D. Ca.; United States v. DAR Construction. Inc. , Cr. 88-65, S.D.N.Y.; United States v. Fineman. Boone and D’Avocato , Cr. 88-543, E.D.Pa. In each of these asbestos NESHAP cases, violations of 40 C.F.R. § 61.152(a) gave rise to the CERCLA Section 103 counts. In all cases litigated to judgment, the defendants pled guilty or were acquitted on the CERCLA charges. Attached for your information is a copy of an indictment. If you have any questions about this membrandum, please call Karen Schapiro of the Air Enforcement Division (F’rS 382—6240). Attachment cc: Regional Counsel Air and Superfund Branch Chiefs Regions I-X Air Compliance Branch Chiefs Regions I—X NESHAP Regional Counsel Contacts Regions I-X NESHAP Regional Coordinators Regions I-X AED Attorneys ------- —7— John Seitz, Director Stationary Source Compliance Division Omayra Salgado Stationary Source Compliance Division Bruce Diamond, Director Office of Waste Programs Enforcement Scott Fulton, Director Office of Civil Enforcement Paul Thomson, Director Office of Criminal Enforcement David Buente Chief, Environmental Enforcement Section Land and Natural Resources Division U.S. Department of Justice ------- • FILED JESSE W. G ir . P JUN 1989 U.S. DlST ;CT 3’: INDICTMEwMEsr’ c- NO. C ‘9- CC 57- C/- L (17 (18 U.S.C. § 1001; 42 U.S.C. § 7412(c) & (e), 7413(c) and 9603(b)) c :;i: El. S. Dtstri t Court Louiev lle 1 . / ,4 i,-, Datez - - ‘ GENERAL ALLEGATIONS - ‘ . . eputy Clerk At all times relevant to this Indictment: 1. Defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, was engaged in the business of wrecking and demolition in Jefferson County, Kentucky. 2. Defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, contracted with Tuscarora Plastics, 816 South Eleventh Street, to demolish and wreck a building on Tuscarora Plastics property, 831 South Twelfth Street, Louisville, Kentucky. The building, or facility, to be demolished contained at least 260 linear feet of friable asbestos materials on pipes or 160 square feet on other facility components. Friable asbestos materials means any material containing more than one percent asbestos by weight that hand pressure can crumble, pulverize or reduce to powder when dry. The materials are adequately wetted when sufficiently mixed or united with water or an aqueous solution to prevent dust emissions. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412. 40 C.F.R. Section 61.141. - UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTEp DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs. CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR. D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING The Grand Jury charges: 1 ------- Asbestos was formerly used as insulation material for pipes, tanks, ducts, c ialls, arid other structural components of buildings. CLEAN AIR ACT PROVISIONS 3. The Clean Air Act authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency (hereinafter EPA) to establish emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. An air pollutant is hazardous if, in the judgment of the Administrator of EPA, it causes or contributes to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to result in an increase in mortality, or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(a) (1). 4. The Clean Air Act banned the emission of any hazardous air pollutant in violation of any emission standard set by EPA. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(c)(l)(B), (e). 5. Asbestos is a hazardous air pollutant. 40 C.F.R. Section 61.01(a). Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(a) (1). 5. Where the Administrator determines it is not feasible to prescribe or enforce an emission standard for control of a hazardous air pollutant, the Administrator may promulgate a design, equipment, work.practice or operational standard, or a combination thereof, which in the Administrator’s judgment is adequate to protect the public health with an ample margin of safety. Any such design, equipment, work practice or operational standard shall be treated as an emission standard. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(e) (5). In conformity with the Clean Air Act, the EPA established emission standards for asbestos in the form of work 2 ------- practice standards. 40 C.F.R. Section 61.140 through 61.156. 7. The emission of asbestos, a hazardous air pollutant, from any stationary source is prohibited. A stationary source is any building or structure which emits or may emit a hazardous air pollutant such as asbestos. 40 C.F.R. Section 61.02. 8. The demolition operation conducted by defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, is a stationary source under the Clean Air Act and CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., 0/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, is an operator of that stationary source. Title 42, United States Code, Section 74].l(a)(3) and (a)(5), 40 C.F.R. Section 61.02. 9. The work practice or operational standards applicable to each owner or operator of a demolition operation involving t ’- requisite amount of friable asbestos material require notificati as follows: (a) Each owner or operator shall provide the Administrator with written notice of intention to demolish or renovate; (b) Provide such notice at least ten days before the demolition operation is began: (C) Identify the name and address of the owner or operator: (d) List the scheduled starting and completion dates of demolition; (e) State the nature of the planned demolition and the methods to be used: (f) State the procedures to be used to comply with the safety requirements and work practice requirements of the regulations; (g) Estimate the approximate amount of friable asbestos material present in the facility in 3 ------- terms of linear feet of pipe and the surface area on other facility components of friable asbestos material; and (h) List the waste disposal site where the friable asbestos waste material will be deposited. 40 C.F.R. Section 61.146. 10. Additional work practice requirements for the prevention of emissions of asbestos—containing materials to the outside air mandate: (a) That friable asbestos materials be removed from the facility being demolished before any wrecking or dismantling that would break up the asbestos materials or preclude access to the asbestos materials for subsequent removal; or (b) That any friable asbestos materials are adequately wetted when they are being stripped from the facility; (c) That friable asbestos materials that have been removed or stripped from the building are adequately wetted in order to ensure that they remain wet until collected for proper disposal; (d) Make certain that friable asbestos materials that have been removed or stripped be carefully lowered to the ground and not dropped or thrown to the ground or a lower floor; and (e) That all asbestos-containing waste material is properly deposited at waste disposal sites operated in accordance with EPA regulations. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412. 40 C.F.R. Section 61.141, 11. Each state may develop and submit to the EPA Administrator the procedure for implementing and enforcing emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for stationary sources located in the state. If the Administrator finds the state procedure is adequate, 4 ------- he shall delegate to such state any authority he has under this chapter to implement and enforce such standards. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(d)(l). Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the EPA Administrator from enforcing any applicable emission standard under this section. Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(d)(2). Kentucky has been delegated such authority and the Jefferson County Air Pollution Control District has concurrent authority with Kentucky under K.R.S. 77. The Jefferson County Air Pollution Control District (hereinafter APCD) has promulgated regulations identical to 40 C.F.R. Section 140 through 156 under Regulation 5.04, Emission standard for asbestos. CERCLA ( SUPERFUNDSS 12. The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as “Super und” addresses the release and threatened releases of hazardous substances. Title 42, United States Code, Section 9601, et. seq . Asbestos is a hazardous substance under CERCLA. Title 42, United States Code, Section 9601(14). 40 C.F.R. Part 302. 13. Under CERCLA, any person in charge of a facility from which more than one pound of asbestos is released into the environment, without federal permit, must immediately report, and cause the report of this release to the appropriate agency of the United States Government, as soon as he has knowledge of said release. Title 42, United States Code, Section 9603(a) and (b). Title 42, United States Code, Section 9602. 40 C.F.R. Section 302. 5 ------- 14. A facility includes any building. Title 42, United States Code, Section 9601(9). 40 C.F.R. Section 302. 15. A release into the environment includes any emitting-, escaping or disposing into the environment including dumping, discarding and abandoning. Title 42, rJnited States Code, Section 9601(22), (29). Title 42, United States Code, Section 9603. Title 42, United States Code, Section 9602. 40 C.F.R. Section 302. CONDUCT OF THE DEMOr. ,ITION AND WRECKING OPERATION 16. On or about Novem ber 26, 1986, the defendant, CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, did enter into a contract to wreck the building “call Reynolds at corner of 12th & Garlad.” 17. On or about January 7, 1987, Robert S. Sterritt, owner of Tuscarora Plastics, did authorize CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., CHARLIE WRECKING, to secure a wrecking permit to wreck the structure on the property located at 831 South Twelfth. The applicant’s signature was CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR. 18. On January 22, 1987, Jack Baldwin, Inspector, Jefferson County Air Pollution Control District, inspected the demolition site at 831 South Twelfth Street. Portions of the upper floors had been demolished and had fallen, causing insulation to be knocked from pipes in the building. Insulation had fallen and was lying under pipes. There was exposure to the outside air of asbestos and deterioration of the building from the wrecking. Samples were taken of materials that scientifically tested to be asbestos containing materials. 6 ------- 19. Inspector Baldwin advised defendant CHARLES DONAHOO, JR., 0/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING that asbestos was believed to be present in the building and that defendant CHARLES A. DONAH00, JR., DIR/A CHARLIE WRECKING, must stop work. Baldwin advised defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, of the notification and work practice requirements of APCD Regulation 5.04 - Emission Standard For Asbestos. 20. on January 22, 1987, the City of Louisville, Department of Building Inspection, at APCD Inspector Baldwin’s request, posted a stop work order on the premises at 831 South Twelfth for “failure to comply with air pollution standards.” The notice stated “You are hereby ordered to immediately stop all wrecking work at the above-named property until these violations have been corrected.” 21. As of January 22, 1987, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., 0/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING had failed to provide any written notification of intention to demolish or renovate to APCD. Defendant CHARLES A. DONAH0O, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, had failed to provide notice of such demolition at least ten days before it was begun. CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., 0/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, further failed to list the scheduled starting and completion date of the demolition, to state the nature of the planned demolition and the methods to be used. Further, DONAHOO did fail to estimate the approximate amount of friable asbestos- containing material present in the facility in terms of linear feet on pipes and square footage of friable asbestos-containing material on other facility components. Further, DONAHOC had failed to state 7 ------- the name and location of the waste disposal site where the friable asbestos-containing waste material would be deposited. 22. On January 26, 1987, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., DIE/A CHARLIE WRECKING, Visited the APCD offices at 914 East Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky, requested asbestos removal requirements, asked about potential contractors certified to remove asbestos and received a copy of the EPA publication “Guidelines for Controlling Asbestos-containing Materials in Buildings.” 23. On February 11, 1987, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, again visited the APCD offices at 914 East Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky, and received a form entitled Asbestos Removal Notification. CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, also received a listing of current approved asbestos removal contractors. 24. On February 17, 1987, APCD sent, by certified mail, to defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, Violation Notice No. 87-0012 for violations observed January 22, 1987. The notice read, in pertinent part, “any removal site shall be sealed in a manner to prevent asbestos ambient air contamination. Load supporting structures were being demolished in a building at 831. South Twelfth Street without required prior notification and without required use of procedures for asbestos emission control.” 25. On February 19, 1987, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, ‘visited the APCD offices at 914 East Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky, and presented an Asbestos Removal 8 ------- Notification form dated February 17, 1987. The notification form submitted by defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR.,, D/B/A CHARLIE WREC1 ING, listed the scheduled starting date for asbestos removal of February 22, 1987, and a scheduled completion date for asbestos removal of February 23, 1987. The defendant, CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, estimated the amount of friable asbestos material to be removed at “370 feet on a pipe and a tank.” The defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., C/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, advised APCD personnel that he would prepare a plan for removal and bring it to the APCD office on February 20, 1987. 26. On the morning of February 20, 1987, APCD Inspector Jack Baldwin visited the demoli€ion site at 831 South Twelfth Street and discovered that the previously identified asbestos—containing material had been removed from pipes and other plastic su ces. bàgs. There was no indication of adequate wetting or other containi. es re ired by law. Samples were a en of materials that scientifically tested as asbestos- containing materials. 27. On the afternoon of February 20, 1987, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, arrived at the offices of the APCD at 914 East Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky. Mr. DONAHOO at that time presented his removal plan by letter dated February 20, 1987. 28. On February 27, 1987, the APCD sent Violation Notices No. 87-0015 and 87—0016 to CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE 9 ------- WRECKING, for violations observed February 20, 1987. Violatior Notice No. 87—0015 stated, in pertinent part, “friable asbestos material had been removed from a building under demolition at 831 South Twelfth Street without required prior notification and without required use of procedures for asbestos emission control. Violation Notice No. 87-0016, in pertinent part “wrecking of load bearing structural members and stripping of friable asbestos material had taken place at 83]. South Twelfth Street without the required permit having been issued by the district.” The Grand Jury charges: COUNT 1 1. Each of the allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 28 of this Indictment is realleged and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth at length verbatim. 2. On or about and between January 9, 1987 and January 22, ‘1987, the exact dates being unknown to members of the Grand Jury, in the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, operator of a stationary source in Louisville, Kentucky, containing at least 260 linear feet of friable asbestos material on pipes or 160 square feet on other facility components, did knowingly demolish and cause to be demolished this stationary source in violation of any of the emission, design, equipment, work practice or operational standards for asbestos and knowingly caused 10 ------- asbestos to be emitted from this stationary source in violation of these standards. In violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(c and (e), and Title 42, United States Code, Section 7413(c). The Grand Jury further charges: COUNT 2 1. Each of the allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 28 of this Indictment is realleged and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth at length verbatim. 2. From on or about and between January 7, 1987 and January 22, 1987, the exact dates being unknown to members of the Grand Jury, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, did, being a person in charge of a facility from which a reportable quantity of a hazardous substance, asbestos, is released without a permit did fail to iininediate].y notify the appropriate agency of the United States Government of the release of the hazardous substance as soon as he had knowledge of such release at 831 South Twelfth Street, Louisville, Kentucky. In violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 9603(b). The Grand Jury further charges: COTJ$T 3 1. Each of the allegations contained in paragraphs 1. through 28 of this Indictment is realleged and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth at length verbatim. 1]. ------- 2. On •or about and between February 17, 1987 through February 20, 1987, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., 0/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, did, in the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, on a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States, knowingly and Willfully make or use any false Writing or document, knowing the same to contain a false, fictitious or fraudulent statement, as he did submit Asbestos Removal Notification Form to APCD, 914 East Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky, stating the scheduled starting date for asbestos removal notification to be February 22, 1987, and a scheduled completion date for asbestos removal to be February 23, 1987, when the defendant CHARLES A. DONAHQO, JR.,, D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, did know that asbestos removal work had been started again on a date between January 22, 1987 and February 20., 1987. In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section iooi. The Grand Jury further charges: COUNT 4 1. Each of the allegations contained in paragraphs i through 28 of this Indictment is realleged and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth at length verbatim. 2. On or about and between January 22, 1987 and February 20, 1987, the exact dates being unknown to members of the Grand Jury, in the Western District of Kentucky at Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOC, JR., 0/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, operator of a stationary source in Louisville, Kentucky, 12 ------- containing at least 260 linear feet of friable asbestos material on pipes or 160 square feet on other facility components, did knowingly demolish and cause to be demolished this stationary source in violation of any of the emission, design, equipment, work practice or operational standards for asbestos and knowingly caused asbestos to be emitted from this stationary source in violation of these standards. In violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 7412(c) and (e), and Title 42, United States Code, Section 7413(c). The Grand Jury further charges: COUNT 5 1. Each of the allegations contained in paragraphs 1 through 28 of this Indictment is realleged and incorporated herein by reference as though fully set forth at length verbatim. 2. From on or about and between January 22, 1987 and February 20, 1987, the exact dates being unknown to members of the Grand Jury, defendant CHARLES A. DONAHOO, JR., D/B/A CHARLIE WRECKING, did, being a person in charge of a facility from which a reportable quantity of a hazardous substance, asbestos, is released without a permit did fail to immediately notify the appropriate agency of the United States Government of the release 13 ------- of the hazardous substance as soon as he had knowledge of such release at 831 South Twelfth Street, Louisville, Kentucky. In violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 9603(b). A TRUE BILL. JOS !PH M. WHITT UNITED STATES AT El JMW: RAD: kfs:89060j. 14 ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 9 ASBESTOS NESHAP 9 Suing Owners in Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases 08/ 2 ) 3/91 ------- /1 , 0 /- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTiON AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 1 AUG 20 1991 OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT MEMORANDUN SUBJECT: Suing Owners in Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases FROM: Michael S. Alushin #1 . Enforcement Counsel for Air TO: Regional Counsel Regions I—X This is a request for your assistance in achieving consistency in the treatment of owners of asbestos NESHAP demolition and renovation sites. Your cooperation in this effort will help to ensure that referrals are filed in court in a timely manner. On June 3, 1991, this office received a letter concerning asbestos NESHAP demolition and renovation cases from John C. Cruden, Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The letter raised the question of whether EPA has been consistent in determining whether to sue owners in those cases. DOJ provided several examples of referrals in the letter to illustrate this issue. EPA’s policy is to sue both the owner of the site or facility and the party performing the demolition or renovation, unless there is a good reason not to do so. This policy is contained in the memorandum entitled Injunctive Relief in Asbestos Demolition and Renovation Cases , 1 Clean Air Act Compliance/Enforcement Policy Compendium, § D.6. (July 10, 1985), and in Policy on Suing ItuniciDal Owners in Asbestos Demplition/Renovption Cases , Letter from Michael S. Alushin to David T. Buente (April 30, 1990). The rationale for including the owner, whether a private party or a municipality, is to ensure that qualified contractors are hired to perform these operations, and that owners exercise adequate oversight of the contractor’s work. Examples of circumstances in which it may be appropriate to exclude the owner from the case are discussed in our response to the DOJ letter (attached). To ensure national consistency and to thereby expedite the processing of our referrals, I am asking that you include a separate section in your referral packages that justifies any a R.cycLed Papsr ------- recommendation not to sue the owner in asbestos cases. After reviewing the referral, this office will specifically either concur or not concur with the Regional determination not to sue the owner. If you have any questions concerning this issue, please contact Lynn Holloway of my staff at FTS 382—2859. Attachment cc: Air Branch Chiefs Office of Regional Counsel Regions I-X Air Management Division Directors Regions I-X John Rasnic, Chief Stationary Source Compliance Division cc (without attachment): John C. Cruden, Chief Environmental Enforcement Section Department of Justice ------- MJ- —15-1*b 1b:,S1 EPP REG 3 ORC 215 59? 3235 P. 8’12. 2 1% UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON. D.C. 20460 C, 1 9 j MEMORANDUM SUBIEC’r: tnjurtctive Relief in Asbestos Demolition and Renovation cages FROM; Michael S. AlusPtiIt Associate Enforcement Counsel Air Enforcement Division Edward E. Reich, Dir.ector Stationary Source Cotnpliartce Division TO: Addressees Thjs memorandum sets forth a policy regarding injunctions to enforce the National mission Standard for Asbestos against demolition and renovation sources. This policy will apply to all pending and future civil actions for violations of these regulations. The asbestos standards, 40 C.F.R. 561.140 et seq. , apply to both the party performing a demolition r renovation (usually a contractor and the owner of the subject facility. See the preamble to the repromulgatiorl of the regulations, 49 Fed. Reg. 136S8, 136S9 (April 5. i9R4). The asbestos strategy document issued on April 6 1984 sets forth guidance for determining when to. include the facilityOWfle as a defendant in a civil action to enforce these standards. Facility owners should general.ly be- included as members of the regulated community to ensure that they hire qualified contractors to remove asbestos properly. Only where the owner has acted responsibly, for example, by hiring a reputable contractor and attempting to monitor or supervise the contractor’s performance, hàul the Agency exercise discretion not to sue the owner. ------- M R-15-j995 eG:31 EPi’R REG 3 OR C 21.5 59? 3235 P.e9’12. —2— In almost all civil actions to enforce asbestos regulations against demolition and renovation sources, the action is filed after the violations have occurr.d* Injunctions are therefore directed at future demolition and renovation activity. rinjunctive relief should be sought against coñtractørs, since / they ari likely tQ be ftari 1titg asbestos again In the oro2r&ar ’ L course of business. M in inctiori against future violations in çg.urt order or consent decree vests the courE ti Tha iurisdictiài Th i1 tha _ term atjon date of the decree toejiforce the NESHAP requirements . The prospect of a contempt action ? utur violati n rnm ’ erve as a more effective deterrent than would otherwise exist. Facility owners are situated differently, since they are not ordinarily:Ln the business of asbestos removal. !n determining whether to seek an injunction, the Agency should consider the potential for future violations during t te life of the decree. Injunctions should be sought against facility owners if the demolition or renovation which was the subject of the lawsuit is part of an ongoing series of demolition or renovation projects, e.g., a program of asbestos removal from buildings within a school district, or if the facility owner p1an further projects involving friable asbestos. If these factors are not present, an injunction is not necessary. Injunctive relief need not be limited to merely a co nand to comply with the regulations. E 4itab1e relief should be fashioned to ry to prevent, at a minimum, recurrence of the vioj.ation alle eiI in the complaint . If, roreiampte, a defendant gave incomplete notification of a demolition project, the Agency could seek to enjoin that party to use a specific form in sub itting asbestos notifications. If the facility owner hired as the lowest bidder a contractor unqualified to do- asbestos work, we may wish to enjoin the owner to address NESMAP c pliance in all bid specifications for jobs involving asbestos removal.- It is not possible to provide comprehenstve guidance on the form of injunctive relief to be sought in all cases, but the specifics of an injunction can be worked out aaong the litigation team as the case develops. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Elliott Gilb.rq of the Air Enforcement Division at FTS 382—2864.. / a civil action is filed for an ongoing violation. / injunctive relief should be sought against all, defendants, to afford the greatest chance of effectuating immediate compliance. ------- tIRR-15-19 95 06:31 EPA REG 3 ORC 215 59? 3235 P. 10’12 Addressees: Regional Counsels Regions I.-x Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III, V. and IX Air and Waste Management Division Directors Regions II and VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, and X Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Director Reqiøn XV Regional Enforcement Contacts Regions I—X cc: David Buente, Acting Chief Environmental Enforcement Section Department of Justice - ------- r1 R-15—1995 Ø ,:32 EPfl RE6 3 DRC 215 59? 3235 P. 11’12. UN1ThD STATES CNVtRONMENTAL PROT CT1ON AGENCY WASH NGT0N, D.C. 2046C A 3O David T. Bueftte, Chief CFF1 ECF Environmental Zn crcement Section La.rid and Natural Resources Division C aM U.S. Departhent of Justice P .O. 5ox7611 Sen Franklin Post Office Waslungton, DC. 20044 Re: Policy on Suing MunicipaL owners in Asbestos Demolition/Renovation Cases Dear 1 r. Buente: Thank you for your letter of February 2l 1990 regarding ZPA’s policy on su(r i it, 1 - owners in asbestos NES AP cases. I appreciate the effort your enforcement and. hope this letter will help to clarify EPA current policy in this area. The. preamble to the April 5, 1984 repromulgátion of the asbestos - E5HAP expressed the Agency’s legal interpretation that the asbestos reg .ilations apply to the ovrters of demolition and renovation sites. contemporaneous with.. that repromulgation , EPA issued an Asbestos Strategy Ofl April 6, 1984. That strategy said, on page 15: . “The asbestos regulations apply to eacb ‘owner or operator’ of a demolition or renovation operation. EPA has construed this language to include both the owner- of the site arid - the party performing the demolition or renovation, usually a contractor. This position is reiterated in, the preamble to the reprbaulgatlofl of the standard. . .As a genera L rule, -the Re iorL.shOUl& 8.lso.proceed against the site owner-.- Rowe,ver, the Region aay eXeZC .sa discretion. where an ovnEr can show ,-that the contract or bid specifications required. that the.de.m0liti0fl contractor comply with the asbestos regulations. O’..ir July 3.0, 1985 policy, which we previously sent you, referenced. the April 6.,. 1984 Asbestos Strategy Document. The July 10, 3.985 document’said “Facility owners should generall .b 1mnCl as-” members of the regulated community to ensure that they hire qualified contractors to remove asbestos properly. Only where the owner has acted respons thly, for Piwad n Racvdld P’pd’ ------- MAR—15—1995 06:32 EPA REL3 3 QRC 215 597 3235 P.12 /12. example, by iriflg a reputable contractor and attempting to monitor or supervise the contractor’s performance, should the Agency exercise discretion not to SUS the owner.” Neither the Aprtl 984 strategY nor the July 1985 policy distinguished betweefl’W t1fl1C P art other defendants. Although your February 21, 1990 letter suggests that the EPA policies apply only to actions see3 ing jn unctY e relief, as we indicated in the April 1984 StrateT!, we intended our policy to apply to claims or injunctive relief and penalties. We have been pursuing ownerS for years. You mentioned that we had not always sued owners, especially where it concerns local government entities. As our analysis of the past two years of asbestos referrals indicates, ye always 5UQ owners, even local governments unless there is a good reason not to do so. I am not aware of any case in which the omission of owners was unjustif Led. If you are aware of any examples, please let me kno”. We do not distifl iiSh municipal owners from private owners when deciding whether to refer an owner as a potent a1 defendant. well In conclusion, , lWaS cti f r penalties as mUfl1C .Pa ies or ment entities, unless there iS n .a1 reasofl to exercise our en orcemefl 3.scre LO As prev .ous1y ment.or1e , sc me of th0S reathons are if th c jw ontrac or, or if the case involves one operator with violations at so many different facilities that adding all the different owners would unnecessarily complicate the case. Please contact me at. 382—2820 or Charles Garlo’ at 475-1088 if you wish. to further discuss this issue. • Sincerely,, Michae1 S. A1USh.th-. Associate Enforcemextt CcW15e] • forAir. - cc: John seitr Robert Van Eeu Velefl - EES Assistant- chiefs Joseph Block Bert Frey David Xee TOTAL P.12 ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 10 ASBESTOS NESHAP Consent Decree Provisions Requiring Information on Unsuccessful Demolotion/RenOVation Bids in Asbestos NESHAP Civil Actions 03/17/92 ------- ilk!? 3r 4 , UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D C 20460 pp 1 ;ØP i iLi 1 2 —, r ( jvç-’ OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Consent Decree Provisions Requiring Information on Unsuccessful Demolition/Renovation Bids in Asbestos NESHAP Civil Actions FROM: Michael S. Alushin 4* ct,L _ Enforcement Counsel for Ai John B. Rasnic, Director Stationary Source Compli nce Divis on TO: Addressees The purpose of this memorandu m is to request that the Regional offices refrain from including provisions in consent decrees that require demolition or renovation contractors to report all unsuccessful bids for asbestos renovation or demolition work to EPA during the pendency of the decrees. These unsuccessful bid submission provisions have been included in consent decrees negotiated in settlement of civil actions under the Clean Air Act for violations of the asbestos NESHAP. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has objected to the practice of including this provision in consent decrees. After evaluating DOJ’s rationale and after consultation with the Regional Counsel Air Branch Chiefs and the Regional program offices, we have decided not to pursue this issue further with DOJ. Under the provision in question, the defendant contractor agrees to provide reports, at specified intervals, that list all unsuccessful bids, offers, quotations or estimates, written or verbal, that the contractor gives for any and all asbestos work. The reports are typically required to include the name, address, and telephone number of the entity requesting the bid offer, quotation or estimate of asbestos removal, as well as the property name, address, project manager and quantity of asbestos to be removed. The reports are also required to include the name, address and telephone number of the successful bidder- contractor, if known. Under the unsuccessful bid submission provision, the contractor was required to certify the accuracy of this information. The underlying rationale for this provision was to assist the Agency in identifying potential underbidding by demolition contractors, whose low bids might signify an intent to circumvent the asbestos NESHAP. Printed on Recycled Rape’ ------- The DOJ objects to the inclusion of unsuccessful bid submission provisions in consent decrees for two reasons. First, these provisions do not seek to ensure compliance by the violator subject to the consent decree, but by contractors with rio connection to the current enforcement action. Second, the relief obtained through these provisions exceeds the relief afforded to the Agency under the NESHAP. In DOJ’s opinion, the relief af forded by consent decrees should be tailored to a good faith reading of the scope of injunctive relief available under the applicable statute and regulation. Some demolition contractors are sensitive to the fact that their competitors might underbid a job with the expectation of circumventing compliance with the notice or work practice requirements of the asbestos NESHAP. If contractors are interested in reporting suspected underbidding to the Agency, we encourage them to do so. Such information should only be submitted on a voluntary basis, however, and not as part of a written, enforceable obligation. Any questions concerning the policy established by this memorandum may be directed to Lynn Holloway of the Air Enforcement Division at FTS 260-3878. Addressees: Regional Administrators, Regions I—X Regional Counsel, Regions I—X Air Management Division Director Region I Air and Waste Management Division Director Region II Air, Toxics and Radiation Management Division Director Region III Air, Pesticides and Toxics Management Division Director Region IV Air and Radiation Division Director Region V Air, Pesticides and Toxics Division Director Region VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, IX and X ------- —3— cc: John C. Cruden, Chief Envjromnental Enforcement Section U.S. Department of Justice Scott C. Fulton Deputy Assistant Administrator Office of Enforcement Robert Van Heuvelen Acting Director of Civil Enforcement John Seitz, Director Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 11 ARSENIC NESHAP Guidance S-26: Enforcement of the Arsenic NESHAP for Glass Manufacturing Plants 10/01/86 11 ------- ,iQ $7 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY - WASHLNGTON, D.C. 20460 ‘ L lmO1 ocncf of Au AND LADIATION MEMORANDUM SUSJELT: Guideline 5—26 — E.ntorcement ot the Arsenic NESHAP ror (.ilass Manutacturing Plants (40 C R Part 60 subpart N) FROM: Director Stationary Source Compliance Division Ottice ot Air Quality Pianniny and Standaras To; Air ana Waste Management Division Director Region II Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III, ‘v and IX Air, Pesticides, ano Toxics Management Division Directors Regions IV and VI Air and Toxics Division birectors Regions VII The attached guideline is being torwaraea to you to assist i in the implementation and entorcement or the arsenic National ssion tanaards ror Hazardous Air Pollutants (N HAPS) tor iss manutacturing ilants (Subpart N). If you have any ciuestions or comments on this yuideline, please contact reen Cantor in the Stationary Source C.orn liance Division at FTS 382— 87 . \‘ .) I L # .dward E. Reich Attachment cc: Michael Alushin Stan Cutfe Bob Ajax Ion Myers George halsn Jan Myers Jim ngel ------- —2— In almost all civil actions to enforce asbestos regulations against demolition and renovation sources, the action is filed after the violations have occurred.* Injunctions are therefore directed at future demolition and renovation activity. Injunctive relief should be sought against contractors, since they are likely to be handling asbestos again in the ordinary course of business. An injunction against future violations in a court order or consent decree vests the court with con- tinuing jurisdiction until the termination date of the decree to enforce the NESHAP requirements. The prospect of a contempt action for future violations may serve as a more effective deterrent than would otherwise exist. Facility owners are situated differently, since they are not ordinarily in the business of asbestos removal. In determining whether to seek an injunction, the Agency should consider the potential for future violations during the life of the decree. Injunctions should be sought against facility owners if the demolition or renovation which was the subject of the lawsuit is part of an Qngoing series of demolition or renovation projects, e.g., a program of asbestos removal from buildings within a school district, or if the facility owner plans further projects involving friable asbestos. If these factors are not present, an injunction Is not necessary. Injunctive relief need not be limited to merely a coimnand to comply with the regulations. Equitable relief should be fashioned to try to prevent, at a minimum, recurrence of the violations alleged in the complaint. If, for example, a defendant gave incomplete notification of a demolition project, the Agency could seek to enjoin that party to use a specific form in submitting asbestos notifications. If the facility owner hired as the lowest bidder a contractor unqualified to do asbestos work, we may wish to enjoin the owner to address NESHAP compliance in all bid specifications for jobs involving asbestos removal. It is not possible to provide comprehensive guidance on the form of injunctive relief to be sought in all cases, but the specifics of art injunction can be worked out among the litigation team as the case develops. Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Elliott Gilberg of the Air Enforcement Division at FTS 382—2864. *If a civil action is filed for an ongoing violation, injunctive relief should be sought against all defendants, to afford the greatest chance of effectuating immediate compliance. ------- -3— Add res sees: Regional Counsels Regions I—X Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III , V 1 and IX Air and Waste Management Division Directors Regions II and VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, and X Air, pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Director Region IV Regional Enforcement Contacts Regions I—X cc: David Buente, Acting Chief Environmental Enforcement Section Depart neflt of Justici ------- S—26 — GUIDELINE FOR THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ARSENIC NESHAP R .GULATIONS FOR GLASS MANUFACTURING PLANTS •This guideline is being issued to assist the Regional Offices in the entorcement of one of the NESHAP regulations tor the control of arsenic emissions. Three types of tacililities are required to be controlled by these regulations: (1) glass manufacturing plants, (2) primary copper smelters, and (3) arsenic trioxide and metallic arsenic production racilities. This guideline addresses glass manufacturing plants only. Arsenic was declared a hazardous air pollutant on June 5, 1980. Regulations were proposed for the control of arsenic under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) 40 ER 59532, on August 22, 1983. These regulations were promulgated on August 4, 1986. Since this regulatory tramework has been previously utilized for the contrQl of asbestos, beryllium, mercury, vinyl chloride, and benzene, additional helptul information is available in Guidelines 5—17 thru S—20, which otter some general guidance relative to the procedural requirements of the NESHAP program. Summary of Requirements The standard covers each glass melting turnace that uses commercial arsenic as a raw material, except that pot furnaces (retractory vessels in which glass is melted by indirect heating and where the openings are covered with refractory stoppers during melting) are exempted. Each owner or operator must either 1) vent all inorganic arsenic emissions from each glass melting rurnace to a control device and reduce emissions b at least 85%, the level ot reduction achievable by an electrostatic precipitator or tabric tilter (S6l.162(a)(2) and (b)(2)), or 2) maintain .r controlled (i.e. preceedirty an add—on control aevice) arsenic emissions at 2.5 Mg/year (2.75 TPY) or less Eor existing plants (S61.162(a)(1)), c.r at 0.4 Mg/year (0.44 IPY) or less for new plants (S61.l62(b ) (1 )). If the owner or operator intends to meet the standard by using a control devic , s/he is required to continuously monitor opacity and temperature, and to submit semiannual reports of excess opacity. An owner or operator may bypass the control device for a limited period of time for designated purposes such as maintenance ot the control device, upon prior approval from the Regional Oftice. ------- —2— If the owner or operator intends to meet the standard b . limiting uncontrolled arsenic emissions, s/he is required to calculate the uncontrolled arsenic emissions semiannually, ano to report if the emission rate is above the applicable limit. ------- —3— A. Source Notification The Regional Oft ices should notify all. potentially affected sources immediately rollowing the promulgation of the arsenic NESHAP regulations, or immediately upon identification of attected sources anytime after promulgation (see guideline S—17 for example notification). A list of all known glass manufac- turing plants using arsenic as a raw material is attached (Table 1). This list includes 75 furnaces at 27 plants, and includes both controlled and uncontrolled furnaces, and rurnaces emitting arsenic at levels both above and below the threshold of 2.5 Mg/yr. This regulation would require two of these furnaces to install additional controls or reduce arsenic usage, and would require at least six turnaces to maintain their present controls. However, this list may not be exhaustive, and it includes many emission estimates. Since new plants may have been constructed, additional plants may have begun using arsenic as a raw material, and some plants may be unidenttfie as of yet, additional. inves- tigation should be made to complete the list. Also, a number of companies are investigating the possibility of reducing or elimi- nating arsenic in soda—lime batch formulations, which may reduce the number ot affected facilities. Preterably, all glass plants should be notified of the regulations, because they will become sub3ect if they begin using arsenic as a raw material in the future. All affected sources shouLd be coded into CDS. ------- —4-. B. Determination of Compliance (40 CFR 61.164) 1. Initial Report (40 C R 61.10) The owner or operator of each existing source is required to submit an initial report to the Administrator by November 2, 1986. This initial report should include: —name and address of the owner or operator, —source location, —brief description of the nature, size, design, and method of operation (including capacity and emission points), —the average weight ot arsenic processed per month over the previous 12 months as determined by direct measure or materials balance, —a description of the existing control equipment (including efficiency), and —a statement of the teasibility ot complying with the standard by November 2, 1986. It the owner or operator is unable to comply with the stanuard within the 90—day period, s/he may apply tor a waiver of compliance (See Guideline S—19). Sources which need to install control equipment may be granted a waiver tor up to two years ir the time is needed for purchase and installation. Reasonable compliance schedules tor installing fabric tilters ana ESP’s are attached (Table 2). t’or any source ror which a performance test is required, the owner or operator must riotiry EPA at least 30 days betore the test and must submit the results to EPA within 60 days or the test, as indicated in the next section. For any source wnicti can demonstrate compliance by means of an emission calculation alone, the owner or operator must submit to PA by September 18, 1986 (or within 45 days ot start—up or moditication) a written report of the calculatea estimates of arsenic emissions. (NOTE: In the proposal, this report was required to be submitted within 90, rather than 45, days. Sources may be unprepared for this change and may require more time.) ------- —5— For new and modified sources (for which construction or modification commenced after Ju1 20, 1983, inc1udin any existing furnace which begins to use arsenic — see following discussion), t e owner or operator must apply for approval to construct or modify (required by S61.07) and provide process and emission data so that EPA may determine if the source will be able to comply with the standard. After approval, the owner or operator is required to notitj EPA of the anticipated and actual start—up dates as indicated in S61.09. ------- —6— Determination of Whether a Source is “Modified TM based on Arsenic Usage Background Information “Moditication’ is defined in the General Provisions, 40 CFR S61.02 as “any physical change or change in the method of operation . . . which increases the amount of any hazardous air pollutant . . . or which results in the emission ot any hazardous air pollutant not previously emitted, except that • . . art increase ot the production rate, it such increase does not exceed the operating design capacity . . . (or) an increase in hours of operation . . . (shall not be considered a change in the method of operation)”. uNew source” is defined as “any stationary source, the construction or modification ot which is commenced after (proposal)”. The preamble to the promulgated standards (Federal Register Vol. 51, No. 149, August 4, 1996, p. 27997) states “(s)ince proposal, the use ot arsenic in some glass melting rurnaces has been eliminated and the Agency believes that this trend is likelj to continue. lhe companies that operate these furnaces have indicated that they do not plan to resume using arsenic. The cutoff applied to new or moditied glass melting furnaces is based on consideration of cost and economic tactors and has been retained in the promulgated standard to discourage reintroduction of arsenic in turnaces that have recently elimi- nated its use and to discourage future use. The Agency believes that this is appropriate to prevent risks from increasing near those furnaces that have recently eliminated arsenic use and because reasonabie alternatives to exceeding this cutoff level are available at these tacilities. These include the use of low—arsenic iass recipes and the use or controlled turnaces tor production ot tnose glass types which gould result in uncontrolled emissions or arsenic of more than 0.4 Mg (0.44 ton) per jear.. ------- —7— Discussion Many furnaces subject •to the arsenic NESHAP will typically melt a variety of glasses with different arsenic Contents and emission factors. It is necessary to determine whether furnaces will become modifiec sources, and thus sub ect to the more stringent emission limit, on the basis of these changes in the method of operation. The above information indicates that if a furnace has never used arsenic and starts arsenic use any time after pro- posal, that rurnace should be considered a moditied source. If a furnace has used arsenic in the past, but has ceased its use, it becomes a modified source at any point after pro- posal that it resumes the use of arsenic. Because arsenic usage is to be calculated as a rolling 12—month average every 6 months, if a furnace does not us e arsenic during any such 12—month period, (starting from the 12—month period immediately preceeding proposal) that furnace should be considered a non— arsenic furnace, and any addition of arsenic in the future will cause this furnace to become subject to the more stringent standard for new ana modified furnaces. If a furnace has continuousl used arsenic since the 12—month period before proposal, it would be a modified source if arsenic emissions increase above previous levels. Operating records should be reviewed to determine if there has been any 12—month rolling average where arsenic emissions were higher than a previous 12—month period. If so, the source should be consicered modified. It not, the semiannual rolling averages calculated by the source Should routinely be monitored to see that emissions do not increase in the future. If emissions do increase, the source is modified and is required to either install controls or change operation in some way so that Uncontrolled emissions will be lmited to 0.4 Mg/yr arsenic. There are several exceptions to this: (1) A source may argue that this period of lowest arsenic emissions is not representative of the typical operation of that furnace. These claims should be evaluated on a case—by— case basis. However, if the reason for the low arsenic emis- sions was that the furnace was successfully using a substitute for arsenic, then the lower emission rate should be considered representative operation. ------- —8— (2) It the increase in arsenic emissions is due solely to an increase in production, then the furnace should not be considered modified. However, this refers to the production rate and hours of operation ot the furnace, not tor the indivi- dual, glass types; Theretore, if a turnace has increased produc- tion ot a high—arsenic glass but at the same time has decreased production of a low—arsenic or non—arsenic glass such that overall arsenic emissions increase but total production remains constant, then the furnace should be consiaered modified. In summary, for all furnaces which choose to demonstrate compliance with the 2.5 Mg/yr uncontrolled arsenic emission standard for existing sources, their operat ing records for the period rrom August 22, 1982 (12 months before proposal) to the present, as well as all future semiannual calculations of uncon- trolled arsenic emissions, should be reviewed to determine whether the furnace has been modified because of these changes in operation. ------- —9— 2. Emission rest (40 CFR 61.164) By November 2, 1986 (or within 90 days ot startup ror a new source), the owner or operator must test emissions from the source unless a waiver of emission testing is obtained under S61.13 (See Guideline S—20). The owner or operator must provide the Regional Otfice at least 30 uays prior notice of the emission test and demonstration of the opacity monitoring system•, it applicable. Emission tests are to be conducted while the source is operating unoer conditions that .are representative of those from which the maximum arsenic emissions will result, as may be specitied by the kegional Office. Usually, this will be under conditions representative of the expected maximum (allowable) procuction rate. However, for sources melting more than one t 1 pe ot glass, or tar sources with multiple rurnaces emitting to a single control device, the emission test should be conducted while the source is operating at the expectea ma*imurn production rates for the glass types generating the greatest amounts ot arsenLc. urnaces producing non—arsenic glass should also oe operating during the emission test, as would be representative ot a source’s usual operation. Another test may be required later if source operation changes so that the original testing operating conditions are no longer representative Ct “worst case” operation. The owner or operator must furnish the kegional Uftice with a written report of the emission test results and associated calculations within 60 days of the test, and must retain records of emission test results and other data needea to determine emissions tor two years. ------- —10— Furnaces with Uncontrolled Arsenic Emissions Above 2.5 Mg/yr (existing) or 0.4 Mg/yr (new or moditi d ) (S6 1. 164(e) Unless an alternative test method is approved (reter to Guideline S—lB tor procedure), the owner or operator of each furnace must demonstrate compliance with the 85% arsenic reduction requirement in S61.162(a)(2) or (b)(2) by using Method 108 to determine the concentratjonof arsenic in the inlet and outlet gas streams to the control device. Each emission test is to consist of three 60—minute test runs, each Consisting of simultaneous testing of the inlet and outlet gas streams. The gas streams must contain all ot the gas exhausted trom the gas melting furnace. The percent reduction for each run will be computed as follows: ( Cb — Cp) X 100 Cb D = percent emission reduction Cb = arsenic concentration in stack gas entering the control device, as measured by Method 108 Ca = arsenic concentration in stach gas exiting the control device, as measured by Method 108 The average percent reduction is equal to the arithmetic mean of the results tor the three runs, and must be equal to or greater than 85% for the source to be in compliance. ------- —11— Furnaces With Uncontrolled Arsenic Emissions Under 2.5 Mg/yr (existing) or 0.4 Mg/yr (new or modified ) (S 61 .164(c) ana (d)) If less than 8.0 Mg arsenic/year (8.8 TPY) iS added to an existing furnace,or less than 1.0 Mg arsenic/year (1.1 TPY) is added to a-new or moditied furnace, the owner or operator will usually be able to demonstrate compliance with the uncontrolled emission 1in its by an emission calculation only. A theoretical arsenic emission tactor should be calculated tor each type of glass produced during the 12—month period, as tollows: Ti = (Abi X Wbl) + (Aci X Wci,) Ag 1 = theoretical uncontrolled arsenic emission factor (g/kg) for each glass type (1) Abi = traction by weight of arsenic in fresh batch for eacn glass type (i) Wbi = weight (g) of fresh batch melted per kg of glass k. roducea for each glass type (i) Ac 1 = fraction by weight of arsenic in cullet for each glass type (i) = weight (g) ot cullet melted per kg or glass producea for eacri glass type (i) A 91 = weight (g) of arsenic per kg glass produced for each glass type (i) The tneoretjcal uncontrolled arsenic emissions for tne 12—month period is estimated as follows: = ( T x G 1 ) lc,p = theoretical uncontrolled arsenic emission estimate for the 12-month period for each glass type (Mg/yr) Ti theoretical uncontrolled arsenic emission factor for each type of glass produced during the 12—month period ( s calculated above) G 1 = kg of each arsenic—containing glass type (i) produced during the 12—month period ------- —12— The total theoretical Uncontrolled arsenic emissions for each 12 —month period is equal to the sum of these emission estimates (Y 1 ) for each glass type produced. If this is equal to or less than 2.5 Mg for existing plants, or 0.4 Mg for new plants, the Source is in- comp1iance and no emission testing is required. If the total is above these limits, then the source is requlreo to test as described below, The following procedure is required for existing sources using more than 8.0 Mg arsenic/year, new sources using more than 1.0 Mg arsenic/year, and for sources using less than these amounts but which are unable to demonstrate compliance solely by the calculation procedure above. The theoretical uncontrolled arsenic emission factors CT 1 ) and estimates (Y 1 ) should again be calculated tor each glass type produced during the 12—month period as described above. .mission testing, using Method 108, must then be conducted during production of the glass type with the highest theoretical uncontrolled arsenic emissions. The actual uncontrolled arsenic emission factor should be computed as follows: Ra = a. p Ra = actual uncontrolled arsenic emission factor (g/kg) = actual uncontrolled arsenic emission rate, from Methoc 108 (g/h) P = rate of glass production (kg/h), determined by dividing the weight ot glass pulled from the furnace during the emission test b i the number of hours taken to perform the test A furnace correction factor (F) to relate the theoretical and actual uncontrolled arsenic emission factors should be calculated as follows (Ra and Ti should be the same glass type): = ------- —13— The totaL uncontrolled arsenic emission rate for the 12—month period should be computed by applying this furnace correction factor to all of the theoretical emission factors, as follows: - n U = ( T 1 x F x G 1 ) i=1 106 U = total uncontrolled arsenic emission rate (Mg/year) n = number of arsenic—containing glass types produced during the 12—month period If the total uncontrolled arsenic emission rate is less than 2.5 Mg/yr for an existing furnace, or 0.4 Mg/yr for a new furnace, the source is in compliance. It the total is above these values, then the source is in violation and must install controls. However, the source may opt to conduct Method 108 tests on the remaining glass types compute ty e—specific correction factors, and attempt to demonstrate compliance in that way. £xampie 1: It the glass type produced during the Method 108 test is the only glass type to be produced for the initial 12—month period, then the actual arsenic emission factor can simply be multiplied by the amount of glass produced to calculate total yearly arsenic eniissions. (If less than 8.0 Mg (or 1.0 Mg) arsenic/year were added to the furnace, a Method 108 test would be unnecessary.) Ea = .045 lb/hr (from Method 108) P = 900 lb/hr Ra = Ea = . 045 = .1 lb As/ton glass 900 Total yearly arsenic emissions = (1(a) (annual production) = (.1 lb/ton)(4000 ton/yr)= .2 As ------- —14— F.xam .,le 2: If two or more glass types are produced, a theoretical arseni c emission fac€or, based on a materials balance, shou1 be calculated tor every type of glass that will be produced. This should be multiplied by the correction tactor to calculate an actual arsenic emission factor tor each type of glass. Each actual arsenic emission factor should then be multiplied by the amount of that glass that will be produced to calculate yearly arsenic emissions for each glass type, and the results summed to calculate total yearly arsenic emissions. Assume 3 types of glass.(A,B,C) are produced in one furnace For Glass A, from above, Ra(A) lb As/ton glass Annual production of Glass A 3000 TPY Theoretical arsenic emission factor (TA) .08 lb As/ton 9lass Correction factor = .1 = 1.25 .08 For Glass B,TB = .075 lb/ton a(B)= (.07 )(1 25) = .09 lb/ton Annual production of Glass B = 500 TP .ror Glass C, T = .4 lb/ton Ra(C) = (.4)(l.25) = .5 lb/ton Annual production of Glass C = 750 TP Total ear1y arsenic emissions annual production) + (Rab))(B’s annual production) + (Ra(C))(C’S annual production) = (.1 lb/ton)(3000 TPY) + (.09 lb/ton)(500 TPY) + (. lb/ton)(750 TPY) = .15 TPY + .021 TPY + .19 TP = .36 TPY ------- —15— The Test- Methods in Appendix S of Part 61 are to be used unless an alternative method has been approved by the Director ot the t mLss1on Standards and Engineering Division. If tne results ootained by an alternative method are thought to be inaccurate, the Regional Office may require the use of a refer- ence method.-- ir the results obtained b ’ the rererence method do not agree with those of the aLternative method, the results obtained by the reference method will prevail. ------- —16— C. Emission Monitoring (40 CFR 61.163) An owner or operator complying with S61.162(a)(2) or (b)(2) must iristall calibrate, maintain, and operate 1) a continuous monitoring system for measuring opacity of the e hau t gas and 2) a monitoring device for trie ontinuous measurement of the temperature of the gas entering the control device. These should be installed, and their operational Status yen— tied, prior to the emissions test. A report of the C .M eval- uation should be furnished to the Regional Ottice within 60 days of the evaluation. The purpose of the transmissometer will be to indicate when the control device may not be operating properly and emissions may be exceeding the applicable limit. The rerarence method useo to demonstrate compliance with the emission limitation remains Method 108. As describea in the following discussion, a sourcespeciric opacity limit is to be derived for each individual facility, which will be based on the opacity during an emissions test demonstrating compliance. This level would be viewed as .lndlcative of a properly operated and maintained control device. Opacity shoula be monitored auring each of the three runs. of the emission test. During tne emission test, process and control equipment should be operated so that opacity is minimized, as may be specified by the Regional Ottice. Monitoring results should be reduced to 6—minute averages, ana a source—specific opacity limit corresponding to the 97.5% upper confxaence level of a normal or lognorinal (which- ever is more representative) distribution ot the average opacity values shoula be aetermined. Temperature of the gas entering the control cevice should also be monitored during each test run, and lb—minute temperature averages should be determined. An owner or operator may redetermine both these values it th ,s procedure is repeated during each test run ot an emission test demonstratir g com liance. All continuous monitoring syscerns should be in con- tinuous operation as described in S61.163(f). All opacity data should be reduced to 6—minute averages, not including data from periods ot breakdowns, repairs, calibration checKs, and zero and span aajustxnents. Fifteen—minute averages of temperature should also be calculated. The Regional Ott ice may approve, atter receipt and con— siderationot written a 1 p1ication, an alternative continuous monitoring system (parameter-based, etc.) to replace the C .M. ------- —17— D. Recordkeepin (40 CFR 61.165) AU. owners or operators of glass melting furnaces using arsenic as a raw material are subject to recorakeeping and reporting reqt(irements. Each owner or operator must retain tor a minimum of two years the following lntormatioh: 1) all measurements, including continuous monitoring for opacity and temperature, 2) all calculations used tor emission estimates and all records of emission test data, 3) all monitoring System performance evaluations, including calibration checks and adjustments, 4) occurrence ano duration of all startups, shutdowns or malfunctions of turnace, 5) all maltunctions ot air pollution control system, 6) all periods when any continuous monitoring system or aevice is inoperative, 7) all maintenance and repairs made to each air pollution control system, continuous monitoring System, or monitoring device, and 8) it permission to b ’pass the control device is obtained, the dates tne control device is bypassed an steps taken to minimize arsenic emissions during that perioc. Adaitionally, each owner or operator ot a glass plant complying with S6l.l62(a)(l) or (b)(1) must determine and record every six months: 1) the uncontrollea arsenic emission rate for the preceeding 12—month period (or 6—month period, for the tirst deter- mination) using measured or calculated arsenic emission factors (as applicable) multiplied by each respective glass productior 1 rate, and ------- —18— 2) an estimate of the uncontrolled arsenic emission rate tor the torthcoming 12—month period, taking into consideration anticipated changes in production rates, glass.. ty pes, and other factors. or these semiannual determinations, it would not be necessary to conduct a Method 108 test again. The initial correction ractor could be applied again to calculate the measured arsenic emission tactor for each glass type. ------- —19— E.. Reporting (40 CFR 61.165) Each owner or operator complying with S61.l62a 2) or (b)(2) must submit written reports to the Aamlnistrator semiannually it excess op-atity occurred during the preceeding six—month period. An occurrence of excess opacity is any 6—minute period where the average opacity exceeded the source—specitic opacity level. Excess opacity reports would not be used to cite a source in violation, but would alert enforcement personnel that the control device may not be operated and maintained j.roperly and to indicate that an inspection and/or emission test may be appro riate. All semiannual reports should include: 1) magnitude of excess opacity, conversion factors usec, dates and times of each occurrence, 2) specitic identification of excess opacity occurring during start—ups, shutdowns, and malfunctions, and 3) dates and times or each period when the continuous monitoring system was inoperative (except for zero and span checks) and the nature of repairs or aojustments. These reports must be postmarked by the 30 th day tollowirtg the end or the six—month period. An owner or operator may apply to the Regional Administrator tar approval to bypass the control device for limited periods, as described previously. This application must be submittea at ieast 60 days berore the bypass period is to begin, and should induce: .1) name and address ot owner or operator, 2) location ot source, 3) description of nature, size, design, and operation or source, 4) the reason it is necessary to bypass the control device, 5) the length or time needed to bypass the control aevice, ------- —20— 6) steps that Will be taken to minimize arsenic emissions during the bypass, 7) the quantrty of emissions that would be released it no stews were taken to reduce emissions, 8) the expected reduction in emissions due to steps taken during the bypass to minimize emissions, and 9) the type of glass to be produced ouring the bypass and an explanation or why non—arsenic or lower—arsenic glass could not be melted during the bypass period. If an owner or operator of a source complying with the 85% arsenic reduction requirement wishes to reduce arsenic usage and comply with the uncontrolled arsenic emission limitation instead, s/he should notify the Regional Office of this change and include the necessary calculations and emission test data to demonstrate tnat uncontrolled emissions will remain below 2.5 (or 0.4) Mg/year. Each owner or operator complying with S61.l62 (a)(l) or (b)(1) must report the uncontrolled arsenic emission rate i.t unáontrolled arsenic emissions exceeo 2.5 Mg/yr for existing plants, or 0.4 My/yr for new plants. If estimates show that arsenic emissions have exceeded 2.5 (or 0.4) Mg/yr for the preceediny 12—month period (or 6—month period, in a tirst report following the compliance demonstration), this is a violation and must be reported within 10 days ot the end ot the 6—month reporting period. If estimates snow that arsenic emissions will exceea 2.5 (or 0.4) Mg/yr, the owner or operator must comply with §61.162 (a)(2) or (b)(2) anu, within 10 days, notify the Regional Office of the anticipateo aate or the emission test. ------- —21— Table 1: Emission Control for Arsenic Using Glass Plants Expected - Number of Compliance Plant No. - - Name/Location Furnaces Methoda , I Corning, Martinsburg, WV I PRC 2 Corning, Charleroi, PA 1 PR Corning, Charleroi, PA 1 CU 3 Corning, Fall Brook, NY 2 PR Corning, frail Brook, NY 3 tiLL 4 Corning, State College, PA 1 PR 5 GTE—S lvania, Central Pa-us, RI 1 PR 6 North American Phillips, Danvi].le, KY 1 PR 7 blenko Glass, Milton, WV 1 tiLL 8 Brooke Glass Co., Wellsburg, WV 2 UEL 9 Corn Ing, Corning, NY 2 UEL 10 Davis—Lynch Glass, Start City, WV I UEL Li ienton Art Glass, Williamston, WV 4 ULL 12 Fostoria Glass, Moundsvillé, WV 1 U L 13 GTE, Versailles, KY I UEL. 14 Indiana Glass, Dunkirk, IN 9 tiLL 15 Jeanette Shade & Novelt ., Jeanette, WV 3 UEL 16 Nourot Glass, Benica, CA 2 UEL 17 Owens—Illinois, Shreveport, LA 3 UEL 18 Owens—Illinois, Mt. Pleasant, PA 1 UEL 19 Owens—Illinois, pittston, PA 2 UEL 2U Owens—Illinois, ‘Ioleao, OH 9 U .L 21 Paul Wissnach Galss, Paden City, WV 5 UEL 22 Peltier Glass Co., Ottawa, IL 6 UEL 23 i CA, Circieville, UK 2 UE.L. 24 Scartdia Glass Works, Kenava, WV 2 UEL 25 Shott Optical, Duryea, PA 3 UEL Vanderxnark Merritt Glass, Piem ngton, NJ I UEL 27 Westrnorelana Glass Co., Pittsburgh, PA 4 UEL a UEL = Uncontrollea Lmission Limt (2.5 Mg/yr) PR = Percent Reduction (8 %) CU = Cease Arsenic Use b some of the turnaces emitting under 2.5 Mg arsenic/year also have control devices, and may comply using either method C Needs to install controls ------- —22— Plants that are believed to have removed arsenic atter proposal and which Would be subject to 0.4 Mg arsenic/year emission limit if arsenic is re—introduced into glass: 1. Americai Stemware Corp. 2. Anchor—Hocking, Lancaster, OH 3. Anchor—riocking, Clarksburg, OH 4. Anchor—Hocking, baltimore, MD 5. Corning, Charlerot, PA (Soda—Lime furnace only) 6. Harvey Industries, Clarksbur g, WV 7. Wheaton Industries, Millsville, NJ Plants known to have usea arsenic, but which were closed at last re ort: 1. Seneca Glass Company, Morgantown, WV . Sloan Glass, Inc., Culloden, W’v ------- —23— TABLE 2: Compliance Schedules Fabric FLlter ES? Time (days ) Contracts awarded or purchase orders issued 60 Fabrication 27(J 360 Shx p irtg 30 30 installation 240 150 Start—up 40 40 Samplinç, analysis, report 90 90 Total. 730 730 ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 12 BENZENE NESHAP Benzene NESHAPS Guidance 06/01184 12 ------- JVN I gp SUBJECT: enzene NESHAPs Guidance FROM: Director Stationary Source Compliance Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Air & Waste Management Division Directors Regions II, IV, \ I—VIII, and X Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III, V, and IX Attached are enforcement guidelines for the benzene NESHAPS, which is scheduled to be promulgated on June 4, 1984 and which will regulate benzene equipment leaks from fugitive emission sources. The guidelines summarize the regulations and address potential enforcement problems. All Regions should work with delegated States in identifying affected sources and ensuring those sources are in compliance with the benzene regulations. The Stationary Source Compliance Division and the Emission Standards and Engineering Division have jointly agreed to present e one day session discussing the benzene NESHAPs, if there is sufficient interest among Regional personnel. The session is tentatively scheduled for Washington during the week of June 18. Please notify Robert Myers at (FTS) 382—2875 if representatives from your Region would be interested in attending such a meeting. C< (#€A . Edward E. Reich At t a c hnie n t CC: Jack Farmer Fred Diinnijck Earl Salo NESHAPS Contacts ------- NESHAPS Enforcement Guideline S—28 — Benzene Equipment Leaks (Fugitive Emission Sources) Benzene standards are being promulgated under the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, Section 112 of the Clean Air Act. Standards under this - section have already been promulgated for asbestos, beryllium, mercury, and vinyl chloride, and have been proposed for arsenic and radionuclides in addition to benzene. OAQPS has prepared this document to aid in enforcement and implementation of the benzene NESHAPs. This summarizes the benzene equipment being regulated and the standards to which this equipment is subject, and provides guidance on several issues of enforce- ment concern. Background On June 8, 1977 the Administrator declared benzene a hazardous air pollutant and a carcinogenic risk to human health. Standards were later proposed for four sources of benzene emissions. These sources were benzene equipment leaks (fugitive emission sources), proposed 1/5/81, 46 FR 1165, maleic anhydride plants, ethylbenzene/styrene plants, and benzene storage vessels. Further analysis has led EPA to conclude that both the berizene health risks (annual leu- kemia incidence and maximum lifetime risk) to the public from the latter three source categories and the potential reduction in health risks achievable with available control techniques are too small to warrant action under Section 112 for these three categories. As a result, EPA proposed on March 6, 1984, 49 FR 8386, to withdraw the proposed standards for these three categories. Because of the magnitude of benzene fugitive emissions, the projected increase in emis- sions as a result of new sources, and the estimated decrease in risks and emissions achievable through controls, EPA found fugitive benzene emissions posed a significant risk and should be regulated. Introduction Valves, pumps, flanges and other pieces of equipment are used extensively in the refining and organic chemical industries to move streams of organic compounds to and from ------- 2 various process vessels. Since this type of equipment can develop leaks, each individual piece is a potential source of organic compound emissions whenever it handles a process stream containing such compounds. Benzene fugitive emissions sources are pieces of equipment handling streams that could potentially contain benzene. These include sources that develop leaks after some period of operation due to seal failure as well as Other sources that can emit benzene when used in specific conditions in the production unit. The sources that develop leaks due to seal failure are those using a sealing mechanism to limit the escape of organic compounds to atmosphere. These include pumps, valves, flanges, relief valves and compressors. Other types of equipment are potential benzene fugitive emissions sources for reasons other than leaking seals. These types of equipment might have the poten- tial for intermittent benzene emissions because they vent organic materials that contain benzene to atmosphere, and include sampling connections, open—ended valves, and product accumulator vessels. Scope and Applicability The standard covers new and existing valves, pumps, compressors, pressure relief devices, sampling connection systems, open—ended valves or lines, pipeline flanges, product accumulator vessels, and closed vent systems and control devices used to comply with the standard. This equipment is used in the production of benzene and other chemicals and products, such as maleic anhydride, ethanol, and pharmaceuticals. To be covered the equipment must be in berizene service, i.e., it must contain material with a benzene concentration of 10 percent or more by weight. See the compliance issues topic for a discussion of in benzene service”. Exempted from this standard is equipment located in process units that produce benzene or benzene mixtures at coke by—product plants. These will be covered by other regulations. Additionally, plant sites designed to produce or use benzene in quantities of 1000 Mg/yr or less are exempt from the standard. The source owner or operator has the responsibility of demon- strating to EPA’S satisfaction that the site is below the 1000 Mg/yr threshold level. Such a demonstration can be accomplished. by engineering analysis as well as by proof of physical limitation of plant capacity. ------- 3 Controls for new and existing sources are the same. In the case of an existing source or a new source which has ..- an initial startup date preceding the effective date, the standard applies within 90 days of the effective date, unless) a waiver is granted pursuant to S61.ll. _ / EPA estimates the standard will affect equipment located in approximately 240 existing process units and an expected 70 new process units by 1985. Attachment 1 lists 131 plant sites EPA has identified as having the potential to emit benzene fugitive emissions. This list is not exhaustive and Regions and States should seek to identify other affected sites and confirm the accuracy of those listed. Standards Generic standards for equipment leaks are presented under Subpart V of 40 CFR 61. Subpart J, standards for benzene equipment leaks, requires that affected sources must meet the requirements of Subpart V. Two basic control techniques are employed by the standard to reduce benzene fugitive emissions. These are leak detection and repair programs in which fugitive source leaks are located and repaired at regular intervals, and preventive programs in which potential fugitive sources are eliminated by either retrofitting with specified controls or replacement with leakiess equipment. A discussion of the specific standards for each affected piece of equipment follows. 1. Valves . This is one of the most common pieces of equipment in a refinery or organic chemical production unit. It ordinarily is activated by a valve stem requiring a seal to isolate the process fluid from atmosphere. Since the potential for leaks exists, valves are subject to regulation. A monthly leak detection and repair program is required for valves in gas or liquid service. Gas and liquid service are defined under S6l.191. Quarterly monitoring will be allowed for valves that have been found not to leak for two successive months. Leak detection is to be performed with a portable organic vapor analyzer, according to Reference Method 21 of 40 CFR 60, Appendix A. A leak is described as a reading of 10,000 ppm or greater of organic material. Whenever a leak is detected the valve must be tagged until repaired and, at a minimum, must be monitored monthly until a leak is not detected for two successive months. ------- 4 Initial repair of the leak must be attempted within 5 days, and the repair must be completed within 15 days. Initial repair includes, but is not limited to, the following best practices where practicable: (1) tightening of bonnet bolts; (2) replacement of bonnet bolts; (3) tightening of packing gland nuts; and (4) injection of lubricant into lubricated packing. See S61.l92—7(e). An annual leak detection and repair program is required to be developed and followed if the valves are difficult to monitor. The description of this program must be kept in a readily accessible location. Difficult to monitor valves are those that would require elevating the monitoring personnel more than two meters above any permanent available support surface. Valves that cannot be safely monitored by the use of step ladders could be classified as difficult to monitor. For valves which are unsafe to monitor, an owner or operator is required to develop and follow a plan that defines a leak detection and repair program conforming with the routine monitoring requirements of the standard as much as possible, with the understanding that monitoring hou1d not occur during unsafe conditions. Unsafe to monitor valves are defined as those that could, as demonstrated by the owner or operator, expose monitoring personnel to imminent hazards from temperature, pressure, or explosive process conditions. There should be very few valves in benzene service that are unsafe to monitor. Two alternative standards are available for valves in gas/vapor and liquid service. The first alternative speci- fies a two percent limitation as the maximum percent of valves leaking within a process unit, determined by an initial performance test and a minimum of one performance test annually thereafter. Process unit is defined at S61.191. This alternative could be met by implementing any type of program and engineering controls chosen at the discretion of ------- 5 the owner or operator. If the percentage of valves leaking is higher than two percent, the process unit is in violation. If owners or operators decide they no longer wish to comply with this alternative, they must submit written notice to EPA accepting compliance with the monthly/quarterly leak detection and repair program. The second alternative standard specifies two skip—period leak detection and repair programs. Under this option an owner or operator upon notifying EPA can skip from monthly! quarterly monitoring to something less frequent after corn— pleting a specified number of consecutive monitoring intervals with the percentage of valves leaking equal to or less than 2.0. Under the first program, after two consecutive quarterly periods with fewer than two percent of valves leaking, n owner or operator may skip to semiannual monitoring. Under the second program after 5 consecutive quarterly periods with fewer than two percent of valves leaking, annual moni- toring may be adopted. Mi owner or operator cannot adopt semiannual monitoring and then proceed directly to annual monitoring by claiming one period of semiannual, monitoring substitutes for two quarterly periods. If the owner or operator finds the two percent level is exceeded, he or she must revert to monthly/quarterly leak detection and repair. If EPA finds the two percent level is exceeded, an evaluation of compliance should occur. This alternative differs from the first alternative because the type of compliance program chosen must be leak detection and repair, rather than a program at the discretion of the owner or operator. An owner or operator electing to comply with the provisions of either of these options must notify the Administrator 90 days before implementing the option. Delay of repair for equipment for urhich leaks have been detected is allowed under certain circumstances. See §61.192— 10. There are two general circumstances where repair delays for pumps, compressors and closed—vent systems, as well as for valves, are allowable. The first is where repair is technically o physically infeasible without a process unit shutdown, defined as a work practice or operational procedure stopping production. The use of spare equipment and technically feasible bypassing of equipment without stopping production are not process unit shutdowns. Repair must occur before the end of the next process unit shutdown; hence, only one ------- 6 shutdown may be passed before repair is always required. Repair is required during scheduled shutdowns of any duration and during unscheduled shutdowns of over 24 hours. The second general circumstance where repair delay is allowed is if the equipment is isolated from the process and no longer contains benzene in concentrations greater than ten percent. Delay of repair specifically for valves is allowed beyond a process unit shutdown when unforeseeable circumstances deplete valves used for repair. The valve assembly supplies must have been sufficiently stocked before the supplies were depleted. In this case delay of repair beyond the next process unit shutdown will not be allowed unless the next process unit shutdown occurs sooner than six months after the first shutdown. Delay of repair for valves is also allowed if the owner or operator can show that leakage of purged material resulting from immediate repair would be greater than the fugitive equipment leaks likely to result from delay of repair, and that when repairs are effected, the purged material is destroyed or recovered in a control device. 2. Pumps — A pump normally has a shaft that requires a seal to isolate the process fluid from atmosphere. Packed and mechanical shaft seals are most common. If the seal becomes imperfect due to wear, compounds being pumped leak. Requirements for pumps are similar to those for valves. A monthly leak detection and repair program is required, with detection determined by Reference Method 21. Alternatively, dual mechanical seals may be used under conditions specified at S61.l92—2(d). Each pump must be visually inspected weekly for indications of liquid dripping frdm the pump seal. A reading of at least 10,000 ppm or indication of liquids dripping is a leak. Initial pump leak repair must be attempted within five days and completed within 15. Delay of repair is allowed for pumps that cannot be repaired without a process unit shutdown and a delay of up to six months after leak detection is allowed when the owner or operator determines that repair requires use of a dual mechanical seal system with barrier fluid system. Any pump equipped with a closed—vent system capable of capturing and transporting any leakage from the seal to a control device is exempt from the requirements. ------- 7 3. Compressors — Compressors have a shaft that requires a seal to isolate the process gas from atmosphere. The potential for a leak through this seal makes it a potential Source of benzene emissions. The standard requires the use of seals with barrier fluid systems that prevent leakage. The barrier fluid system must be equipped with a sensor that will detect failure of the seal or barrier fluid system. Sensors must be checked daily or have an alarm. If the sensor detects a failure, a leak is detected. Leaks must be repaired within 15 days. A compressor is exempt from the above if it is equipped with a closed—vent system transporting leaks to a control device, or it satisfies the no detectable emissions provision at S61.192—3(j). 4. Pressure relief devices in gas/vapor service . The standard requires no detectable emissions, which is a reading of less than 500 ppmv_above background based on Reference Method 21. A i]. As an alternative, compliance may be achieved by use of a rup- ture disk system or closed—vent system capable of capturing and transporting leakage from the pressure relief device to a control device, such as a flare. This standard does not apply to discharges during overpressure relief, but the relief device must be returned to a no detectable emissions status within five days of such a discharge. Additionally, relief valve simmering (wherein the system pressure is close to valve set pressure) is not allowed. S. Sampling Connection Systems — Product quality and process unit operation is checked periodically by analysis of feedstocks, intermediates, and products. To obtain repre- sentative samples for these analyses, sampling lines generally are purged first. If this flushing liquid purge is not returned to the process, it cpuld be drained onto the ground or into a process drain, where it would evaporate and release benzene to atmosphere. The Standard provides for closed—purge sampling to eliminate emissions due to purging by either returning the purge material directly to the process or by collecting the purge in a collection system generally closed to the atmos- phere and disposing of it in an appropriately designed control device. Closed—vent vacuum systems connected to a control device and in—situ sampling systems are also allowed. ------- 8 6. Open—Ended Valves or Lines — Some valves are installed in a system so that they function with the downstream line open to atmosphere. A faulty valve seat or incompletely closed valve would cause leakage through the valve. The use of caps, plugs, or any other equipment that will effect enclosure of the open end is required. If a second valve is used, the standard requires the upstream valve to be closed first. This prevents the trapping of process fluid between the two valves. 7. Product Accumulator Vessels, Flanges, Pressure Relief Devices in Liquid Service — Product accumulator vessels are utilized with fractionation columns, and may be vented directly or indirectly to atmosphere. Flanges are gasket— sealed junctions which may develop seal leaks. Pressure relief devices are designed to release a product material from distil- lation columns and other pressurized systems during emergency or upset conditions. The standard for product accumulator vessels effectively requires venting accumulator emissions to a control device, or use a closed—vent system. Flanges and pressure relief devices in liquid service are excluded from routine leak detection and repair requirements, but if leaks are detected by visual, audible or olfactory techniques, they are subject to the same allowable repair interval as applies to valves and pumps. 8. Closed—Vent Systems and Control Devices — Control devices will be used to reduce benzene equipment leaks captured and transported through closed—vent systems. Reference Method 21 will be used to verify that a closed—vent system has been designed and installed properly. Method 21 requires that closed vent systems be checked visually to ensure there are no leaks where they would not be expected (e.g., in pipes) and also requires the monitoring of connections that are expected to leak occasionally. Enclosed combustion devices, such as incinerators, catalytic incinerators, boilers, or process heaters must be designed to reduce emissions vented to them with an efficiency of 95% or greater or provide a minimum residence time of 0.50 seconds at a minimum temperature of 760° C. Vapor recovery systems such as carbon adsorbers or condensation units must be designed and operated to recover the organic vapors vented to them with an efficiency of 95% or greater. As an alternative the use of smokeless flares designed ------- 9 for and operated with no visible emissions is allowed. Spec’ f c flare conditions established at c61.192—j1(d) and SGl.l95(e) must be met and destruction efficiency must be over 95%. Equipment purges from valves, pump seals, compressor seals, pressure relief devices, sampling connection systems, and product accumulator vessels must be vented to a system complying with the requirements of the control device portion of the standard. Closed—vent systems must be designed and operated with no detectable emissions, as indicated by an instrument reading of below 500 ppm above background and by visual inspections. See 6 l.l95(c). They shall be monitored initially, annually, and at other times requested by the Administrator. Leaks must be repaired as soon as practicable, but not later than 15 days after detection, with a first attempt no later than five days after detection. Equivalent Means of Emission Limitation Each nwner or operator may apply to the Administrator for deter:- ..natjon of equivalence for any means of emission limitation that achieves a reduction at least equivalent to the reduction achieved by the required controls. GuideLines for the deterp jnatjon of equivalence are provided at 561.194(b) and (c). Acceptance of such an equivalent method must be approved by the Administrator and published in the Federal Register . Such a request applies to pumps, compressors, sampliri connection systems, open—ended valves or lines, valves, pressure relief devices, product accumulator vessels and closed—vent systems and control devices. Such requests should be forwarded to the Emission Standards and Engineering Division (ESED) for review and approval. No Detectable Emissions Pumps pursuant to 561 ,192—2(e), compressors pursuant to S61.192—3(j) and valves pursuant to 561.192—7(f) may be desig- nated for no detectable emissions, indicated by a Method 21 instrument reading of less than 500 ppm above background. These piece, of equipment would be exempt from other require— ruents, as specified. Pressure relief devices in gas/vapor service and closed—vent systems must be designed for and operated with no visible emissions, with compliance determined by Method 21. Compliance of flares with the no visible emissions standard, as provided at 561.192—11(d, shall be determined by Reference Method 22. ------- - 10 Peformance tests shall be conducted a minimum of once per year, except for pressure relief devices and flares. Pressure relief devices shall be tested no later than five calendar days after each pressure release. Flares shall be monitored with an appropriate heat sensor, such as a thermocouple, to ensure the presence of a flame. Also, flares must be a Smokeless operation, as evidenced by visible emissions for a maximum of 5 minutes in any 2—hour period. Reporting Requirements Reporting requirements described under 561.197, are of two types. The first is an initial report, and the second a series of semiannual reports. An initial report must be submitted within 90 days of the affective date for existing sources or new sources having an initial startup date preced- ing the effective date. For new sources with a startup date after the effective date, the initial report must be submitted. with the application for approval of construction, as described in 561.07. Receipt of the initial report is essential for ensuring compliance with this standard. The report must specify equipmeri identification number and process unit identification, type of equipment, percent by weight bertzene in the equipment fluid, process fluid state (gas/vapor or liquid), and method of compliance with the standard (monthly leak detection, no detectable emissions, etc.). Semiannual reports of leak detection and repair efforts within a process unit are required. The reports must include the number of leaks occurring within the process unit during the reporting period, the number of leaks that could not be repaired within 15 days, and the general. reasons for unsuccess- ful or delayed repair past 15 days. Reports may be photocopies of reports under other regulations, provided the informational requirements of 561.197 are satisfied. Recordke•pinp R uirements These are specified at 561.196. Each leak shall be identified and tagged, and this must be retained until the leak is repaired. When each leak is detected, records should be kept of the equipment and operator identification numbers, ------- 11 dates for detection and repair, method of repair, and any reascr for delay of repair. These must be kept for two years. Recordkeeping pertaining to the design requirements for closed— vent systems and control devices must be recorded in a log and kept in a readily accessible location. This recordkeeping includes detailed schematics, design specifications, a descrip- tion of the parameters monitored to ensure proper control device operation and maintenance, periods when the closed—vent sytems and control devices were not operated as designed, periods when a flame pilot light did not have a flame, and dates of startups and shutdowns of the systems. Additionally, records must be kept explaining why valves have been classified as unsafe or difficult to monitor and providing plans for monitoring such valves. Records must be kept showing analyses demonstrating that equipment is not in benzene service. Compliance Issues Compliance is determined by review of records required by S61.196, review of performance test results, and inspections (EPA/State leak detections) using the methods and procedures specified in 561.195. There are, however, several potential compliance issues for which guidance is provided here. 1. For purposes of determining the percent benzene content, S61.195(d) provides that ASTM Method D—2267 shall be used or an owner or operator may use engineering judgment to demonstrate that the percent benzene content does not exceed 10 percent by weight. In case of a dispute the ASTM method takes precedence. It should be noted that each piece of equipment within a process unit that can conceivably contain equipment in benzene service is presumed to be in benzene service unless an owner or operator demonstrates otherwise. For a piece of equipment to be considered not in service, it must be determined that the percent bertzerte content can be reasonably expected never to exceed ten percent by weight. The burden is on the owner or operator to show equipment is not in benzene service. 2. Several benzene equipment standards require that the owner or operator develop, based on design considerations and operating experience, a criterion indicating system failure. See 561.192—2(d) (5) for pumps and 561.192—3(e)(2) for compressors. The valve standard requires at 5 6 l.l 92 — 7 (g) that the owner or operator have written plans for monitoring unsafe—to—monitor— valves during safe periods and at S61.192—7(h) that the owner ------- 12 or operator have written plans for monitoring difficult—to— monitor valves at least once per year. Although none of these plans requires EPA approval, all must be accessible to inspection personnel. Should the plan appear inadequate, inspectors may request development of a new plan or a performance test when applicable to ensure compliance is being achieved. If the plan is obviously inadequate (intentionally inadequate), a violation should be pursued. 3. The standard for closed—vent systems and control devices at S61.192—ll(e) requires that owners and operators of control devices used to comply with the standard monitor their control devices to ensure they are operated and maintained in confor- mance with their designs. No monitoring parameters are suggested; however, the owner or operator must achieve 95% control and the parameter selected must indicate this. The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry Promulgation Background Document (EPA 450/3—30—033b, 3une 1982, Appendix B) provides acceptable monitoring parameters and equipment. These include operating temperature or flowrate of fugitive emission vent streams for incinerators, flow recorders to verify steam flow for boilers, thermocouples or ultraviolet beam sensors for flares, temperature and specific gravity of the absorbing liquid for absorbers, offgas exit temperature for condensers, and carbon bed temperature and steam flow recorders for carbon adsorbers. See Attachment II. Whatever parameter is chosen, the owner or operator should be aware that EPA can require an engineering evaluation at any time to ensure the parameter is appropriate and monitors the operation of the control device in accordance with the standard. 4. The general provisions at 561.10 and 61.11 allow EPA to grant a waiver from a benzene standard for a period of up to two years, if the owner or operator of an existing source subject to that standard Is unable to operate in compliance with the standard. Most benzene requirements are in the form of work practic. standards, and waivers from these standards would not be appropriat.. However, certain provisions may require retrofitting of controls. These include standards for compressors (mechanical seals with barrier fluid systems) pressure relief devices (rupture disk systems or closed—vent systems to flares), and product accumulator vessels (must vent ------- 13 emissions to a control device or use a closed—vent System). In cases where retrofit controls are necessary, requests for waivers Should be examined on a case—by—case basis. Althou; ESED believes installatLon of controls should typically take no more than one year, individual situations may require ad i- tional time. ------- Attachment I Table 9 1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZENE FUGITIVE EIIISSION P0TE1 TIAL 115 ’ 3233 1. AllIed Chevn cal 2. AllIed Chemical 3. AmerIcan Cyanamid 4. American Cyanamid S. Mierada Hess 6. AmerIcan Hoechst 7. American Hoechst Ashland 311 Ashland Oil Atlantic Richfield 16. Atlantic Richfield Ci ty/Sta Geismar, LA Moundsville, WV Bound Brook, NJ Wil1 Island, WV St. Croix, VI Baton Rouge, LA Bayport, TX Port Arthur, TX Big Spring, TX Neal, WY North Tonawanda, MY Beaver Valley, PA (Kobu ta) channelview, TX Et 9 73 88 214 181 M D 9 27 77 200 Bz° 107 Et (2 units) 1179 P ant Benzerte—Rel ated Product Capaci tyb At Site ( Gg/yr ) Et Ni Bz Ni Bz NIBZC Bz EtBz St EtBzd std 340 25 43 34 217 526 t4O 469 409 Bz 67 8. American Petroflna (of Texas) 9. AmerIcan Petrofina (Cosden Oil) 10. American Petrofina (Cosden 011 /Petrogas) 11. ,nerican Petrofina/ Union 011 of CA 12. Ashland Oil Bz Cyx E BZe St 194 35 20 41 Groves, TX Beaumont, TX Ashland, Y 13. 14. 15. Bz Cyx Bz Cu Cyx MAN Bz St 9—2 ------- Table 9—1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZEME FUGITIVE OIISSION POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) Benzene—Rel ated Pro uct Capaci t b Plant City/State At Site ( Gg/yr ) 17. Atlantic Richfield Wilmington, CA Bz 40 Et 45 18. Atlantic Richfield Houston, TX BzC 140 (ARCO/Polyrners) Et 227 EtBz 61 St 54 19. AtlantIc Richfield Port Arthur, TX EtBz 114 (ARCO/Poly,i ers) 20. Charter Houston, TX Bz 17 International EtBz 16 21. Chenetics International Geismar, LA N1Bz 173 22. Cherplex Clinton, 10 Et 227 23. CIties Service Lake Charles, LA Bz 83 Et (2 units) 400 24. Clark Oil Blue Island, IL Cu 50 25. Coastal States Gas Corpus Christi, TX Bz 234 54 26. Comonwealth Oil Penuelas, PR Bz 618 Cyx 117 EtBzC 73 27. ContInental Oil Baltimore, MD LAB 122 28. Continental Oil Uke Charles, LA Et 302 29. Core—Lube Danville, IL BSA ND 9 30. Corpus Chrlstl Corpus Chrtstl, IX 82 d 100 Petrochlcals Etd 544 31. Cos—Mar, Inc. Carrvllle. LA EtBz 690 St 590 32. Crown Central Pasadena. TX Bz 77 33. Denka (Petrotex) Houston. TX MAN 23 34. Dow Chenical Bay C1t , MI Bz 100 Et 86 9-3 ------- Table 9—1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZEME FUGITIVE EMISSION POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) Benzene — R?l a ted Products Càpaci tyb Plant City/State At Site ( Gg/yrj 35. Dow Chemical Freeport, TX Bz 167 Et (5 unIts) 1136 EtBz 794 St 658 36. Dow Chemical Midland, MI C13z 129 E BZe 249 St 181 37. Dow Chemical Orange, TX Et 375 38. Dow Chemical Plaquemine, LA 200 Et (2 wilts) 545 39. Dupont Beaumont, TX NiBz 159 40. Dupont - Gibbstown, NJ NIBz 113 41. Dupont Orange, TX Et 374 42. Eastman Kodak Longview, TX Et 58C 43. El Paso Natural Gas Odessa, TX Et ND 9 EtBz 125 St 68 44. El Paso Pr ducts/ Odessa, TX Et 236 Rexene Polyolefins Stc 47 45. Exxon Baton Rouge, LA Bz 234 Et 816 EtBz St MD 9 46. Exxon Baytown, TX Bz 200 Cyx 147 Etc 36 47. First Chemical Pascagoula, MS NIB: 152 48. Georgla.Paclflc Houston, TX Cu 340 49. Getty Oil Delaware City, DE B: 37 9-4 ------- Table 9.4. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZENE FUGITIVE EMISSION POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) 50. Getty Oil 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. Gulf Oil 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. City/State El Dorado, K.A Calvert City, KY Bayport, TX Taft, LA Alliance, LA Donaidsonville, LA Philadelphia, PA Cedar Bayou, TX Port Arthur, TX McGregor, TX San Antonio, TX Niagara Falls, NY Winnie, TX Birmingham, At. Corpus Christi, TX Bridgevllle, PA Cicero, IL Petrolla, PA Texas City, TX New Martlnsville, WY Ben zene—Rel ated Producq At Site Bz Cu Et Hqn EtC Bz EtBz St Bz Cu Et (2 units) Bzc Cu Cyx Et (2 units) ClBzf 82 Cl Bz Bz BSA Bz MM MM Rcnol 82 Ml Bz Capaci tyb (Ga/yr) 43 61 136 5 218 224 313 272 124 209 719 134 204 106 558 0.05 4 9 11 10 53 15 5 16 23 95 61 Plant B.F. Goodrich Goodyear Tire & Rubber Gulf Coast Olefins Gulf Oil Gulf Oil 57. Gulf Oil Chemicals 58. Gulf Oil Chemicals Hercules Howell ICC Industries Independent Refining Corp. Jim Walter Resources Kerr-McGee Corp. Koppers Koppers Koppers Marathon 011 69. Mobay Chemical 9 —5 ------- Table 9—1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZENE FUGITIVE EMISSION POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) 72. Monsanto 73. Monsanto 74. Monsanto 75. Montrose Chemical 76. NatIonal Distillers (U.S.!.) 77. Nease Chemical 78. Northern Petrochemical 79. OlIn Corporation 80. Oxirane 81. Pennzoil (Atlas) 82. PhillIps Petroleum 83. PhIllips Petrolete 84. PhIllips Petroleum City/State Beaumont, TX Alvin, TX (Chocolate Bayou) Sauget, IL St. Louis, MO Texas City, TX Henderson, NV Tuscola, IL State College, PA Morris, IL Brandenburg, KY Channelylew, TX Shreveport, LA Borger, TX Pasadena, TX Sweeny, TX 70. Mobil Oil 71. Monsanto Benzene—Related Produc At Site Bz Et Cu Etc EtBz LAB Cl Bz NI Bz MAN Bz Et EtBz St Cl Bz Et BSAe Et Et Et Bz St BzC Cyx EtBz Et Bz Cyx Et (3 unIts) Ca p a JGc C p C C 454 45 104 F. p C 9—6 ------- Table 9 -1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZENE FUGITIVE EMISSION POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) Plant 85. Phillips Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Olefins PPG PPG Quintana-Howell Reichhold Chemicals Reichhold Chemicals Reichhold Chemicals abi con Shell Chemical Shell Oil 96. Shell Chemical 97. Shell Oil 98. Shell 011 99. SpecIalty Organics 100. Standard Chlorine 10].. Standard Chlorine 102. Standard Oil (CA)/ Chevron Chemical 103. Standard 011 (CA) Chevron 104. Standard 011 (CA) Chevron 105. Standard 011 (IN)! Amoco Benzene—ReIa ted P roduc t City/State At Site Guayama, PR Bz Cyxc Penuelas, PR Natrium, WV New MartInsville, WV Corpus .Christi, TX Elizabeth, NJ Morris, IL Tuscaloosa, AL Geismar, LA Houston, TX Deer Park, TX Norco, LA Odessa, TX Wood River, IL Irwindale, CA Delaware City, DE Kearny, NJ El Segundo, CA Pascagoula, MS Richmond, CA Bz Alvin, TX Et (2 units) Capaci tyb (Gg/yr) 367 212 454. NO g 64 23 14 20 ND 9 , 170 590 301 326 681 133 681 40 150 2 125 7 77 45 ND 9 P 4 0 9 907 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. Et C I Bz Cl Bz MAN MAN B SA NI 82 Et Bzc Cu Et Bz Et Bz Bz C I Bz CI Bz Cl Bz Bz Cu Bz 9—7 ------- Table 9—1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZENE FUGITIVE ISSI0N POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) Benzene—Re la ted ______ Pr duct Capac, tyb Plant City/State At Site ( G /y 106. Standard 011 (IN)/ Texas City, TX Bz 234 Amoco Cu 14 EtBz 386 - St 381 107. Standard Oil (OH)/ Marcus Hook, PA Bz 27 BP Oil 108. Stauffer Chenical Henderson, NY BSA 4 109. Sun Oil Corpus Christi, TX Bz 127 Cu 1 13 Et 9 EtBz 61 St 54 110. Sun Oil Marcus Hook, PA Si 97 111. Sun Oil Toledo, OH Sic 164 11.2. Sun Oil Tulsa, OK Si 80 CyxC 83 11.3. Sun—Olin Clay nt, DE Et 109 114. Tenneco Chalmette, LA Bz 33 EtBz 16 115. Tenneco Fords, N J MAN 12 116. Texaco Port Arthur, TX Si 150 CyxC 117 Et 454 117. Texaco Westvllle, NJ Si 117 Cu 64 118. Texaco/q].ff.rscm Bellaire, TX Et 240 Chlcil 119. Texaco/Jefferson Port Niches, TX Et 238 Che 1 cat 9-8 ------- Table 9—1. REFINERIES AND ORGANIC CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITES WITH BENZEME FUGITIVE 1ISSION POTENTIAL (CONTINUED) 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. Union Carbide Union Carbide Union Oil of CA Union Paclflc/ Champi in U.S. Steel USS Chemicals Vertac/Transvaal Witco Chemical Penuelas, PR Seadrift, TX Taft, LA Texas City, TX Torrance, CA Le nt, IL Corpus Christi, TX Nevifle Island, PA Houston, TX Jacksonvifle, AR Carson, CA Benzene—Rela ted Products At Site EtBz LAB St Bz Cu Et Et EtBz St Bz Et Et Et Bz Bz c d Cyx MAN Et Cl Bz LAB Capaci (Gg/yr) N 0 g 64 MDg ND 9 290 454 546 154 136 234 500 546 73 57 33 NOg 65 38 227 ND 9 20 aBSA Bz Cl Bz Cu Cyx Et Et8z BenzsnesulfonlC kid $ Banzsns a ChIorobenzene a Cyclohexane Ethylene - Ethylbenzene Hqn LAB MAN NI Bz Rcnol St a Hydroqulnone a Linear Alkylbenzene a Maleic Anhydride a Mt trobenzene a Resorcir ol $ Styrene City/State Institute, WV Plant 120. Union Carbide 121. Union Carbide 122. Union Carbide 123. Union Carbide 9-9 ------- Table 9—1. REFINERIES AND SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMICAL NANUFACTURING SITES WITH 8ENZErIE FUGITIVE EMISSION POTENTIAL (CONCLUDED) bAnnUal capacities for each product were obtained fr an the following sources (effective date of capacity In parentheses): BSA — Ref. 3 (January 1977) Bz — Refs. 3 (January 1977), 14 C18z — Refs. 4 (January 1977), 13, 14 Cu • Ref. 9 (January 1979), 13, 14 Cyx — Ref. 2 (November 1976), 3 (January 1977) — Refs. 5 (1977 year—end), 15 (June 1979), 11, 13, 14, 33 EtBz — Ref. 10 (January 1979) Hqn — Capacity estiaiate from Industry (1979) LAB — Ref. 8 (June 1978) MAN - Ref. 3 (January 1977) NiBz — Refs. 7, 32 Rcnol — Ref. 6 St — Refs. 1 (1977 year—end), 14 Cprodt unit under expansion dprdt unit under construction unit on standby or not currently in use Product unit in engineering phase data available 9—10 ------- Attachment II APPENDIX B MONITORING METHODS The standards require that some fugitive emission vent streams be vented through a c4osed vent System to a Control device (that is designed and operated for greater than 95 percent control), such as an incinerator, flare, boiler, or process heater. The standards also requj that the control device be monitored to ensure that it is Properly operated and maintained. This appendix presents methods for monitoring control devices: incinerators, boilers and process heaters, flares, or product recovery equipfnent, such as condensers or Carbon adsorbers. Incinerators Incinerators must be maintained and operated properly if the standard is to be achieved on a continuous basis. The operating parameters that affect performance are temperature, type of compound being incinerated, residence time, inlet concentration, and flow regime. Of these variables, the last two have the smallest effect on the performance of an incinerator. Residence time Is a design criterion and Is not easily altered after the Incinerator is constructed, unless, of course, the vent stream flowrate is changed. At temperatures above 760’C, the type of compound being burned has lIttle effect on the efficiency of Combustion. COfltin monitoring of the incinerator inlet and outlet would be preferred because It would provide a COfltifl , direct measurement of actual emissions and destruction efficiency. However, EPA Is aware of no Continuous monitor being used to measure total VOC at Incinerators which control fugitive vent streams, probably because each of the many different compounds would have to be Identified separately and their concentrations determined. Such a monitoring system would be extremely complex for the determjnat1 of ind1vidu 1 component concentration and mass flow rates. Moreover, it would be relatively expensive since both Inlet and outlet monitors are required to verify that a certain destruction efficiency is maintained. B-i ------- a reliable measure of the efficiency of the incinerator in destroying organic compounds. Both theoretical calculations and results of monitoring or performance tests show that lower incinerator operating temperatures can cause a significant decrease in VOC destructior efficiency. Temperature recorders are relatively inexpensive, costing less than S5,000 installed. They are easily and cheaply operated. Given the large effect of temperature on efficiency and the reasonable cost of temperature monitors, EPA believes that temperature is clearly easy to monitor and would provide some measure of the uniformity of the operation of the incinerator. - Where a co itustion device is used to incinerate only waste VOC streams (and not n* ltiple waste streams from the process unit), flowrate can also be an Indirect Indication of changes in destruction_efficiency since It relates directly to residence time in the comuindevice. Flowrates of fugitive emission vent streams are typically small and thus would probably be ducted with other larger streams to the same incinerator. Under these circum- stances, the vent stream flowrate (for fugitive emissions) may not always give a reliable indication of the residence time of the fugitive emission vent stream in the incinerator. Simple indication of fugitive emission vent stream flowrate to the Incinerator does, however, provide verification that VOC Is being routed to the incinerator. Flow recorders, at an estimated installed cost of less than S2,000, are inexpensive and require little maintenance. Therefore, since flow recorders provide verification that organics—laden streams are being routed to the incinerator for destruction and they are Inexpensive, flawrate Is also a reasonable p raeeter to monitor the constancy of perforuince of an incinerator. Flow recorders should be installed, cdibrated, maintained, and operated according to the manufacturer’s specifications. Boilers If a fugitive emissions vent is piped to the flame zone of a boiler (or process heater), it is only necessary to know that the boiler (or heater) is operating and that the waste gas is flawing to the boiler (or heater). Records presently maintained for plant operation. such as steam produ ti n . _ - 8—2 ------- recors,wou1djfldi teOpe,.at Flow recorder 5 could be installed to verify flow of the vent stream to the boiler (or heater). For smaller heat Producing units (less than 44 MW (150 million Btu/hr heat input)), Combustion temperature should also be recorded to enable verificat,cr of Optimum operation. Boilers (or heaters) with heat ir ut design capacities greater than 44 MW would not be required to install temperature recorders These larger units always operate at high temperatures (‘1100°c) and stable .flowrates to avoid upsets and to maximize steam generation rates. Records that indicate onstream time would be sufficient for these larger boilers (or heaters). Flares - Because flares are not enclosed COf uStjon devices, it is not Practically feasible to measure combustion parameters Continuously. Temperatures and residence times are more variable throughout the combustion Zone for flares than for enclosed devices and, therefore, such measurements would not necessarily provide a good indicator of flare performance even if measurable. Monitoring of flow rate to the flare is generally unacceptable from a safety point of view since the flow measurement would present an obstruction in an emergency vent line. As a result, flare operation is usually verified by examination of more prominent characteristics. The typical method of verifying COfltinu operation of a flare is - - visual inspection . However, If a flare is operating smokelessly, it can be difficult to determine if a flame Is present, and it may take several hours to discover. The presence of a flame can be determined through the use of a at sensing device, such as a thermocouple or ultra -violet (U—v) beam sensor ona flare’s pilot flame . e ass orj nce of a flame would be Indicated by a low temperature asurement The cost of available thermocouple sensors ranges in price from $800 to $3,000 per pilot. (The more expensive sensors In this price range have elabqrate automatic relight and alarm systems.) Thermocouples used on flares may, however, burn out if not installed properly. The cost of a U—v sensor Is approximately $2,000. A u-v system is not as accurate as a thermocouple in indicating the presence of a flame. The U—V beam is Influenced by ambient Infrared radiation that 8-3 ------- could affect the. accuracy. furthermore, interference between different U-V beams makes it difficult to monitor flares with multiple pilots. By des g , U—V sensors are primarily used to verify the existence of flames within enclosed combustion devices. Therefore, based on cost and applicability, EPA believes thermocouples provide adequate verification of flare operation. Product Recovery Equipment Three types of product recovery equipment which might be used in controlling fugitive emissions vents are absorbers, condensers, and carbon adsorbers. 3wn operatin,q parameters are the primary_determir42.Lr2. I4 .t recovery device operation for an absorber: the temperature and specific he a bs orb ing q . a c i ies installed an absorber to recover product which otherwise would be lost will generally monitor a parameter which indicates the degree of saturation of the absorbing liquid with respect to the product. Specific gravity is conInOfll) used for this purpose. Devices for measuring the temperature and specific gravity are available at reasonable cost. The estimated one—time combined capital investment for such equipment is SBIOOG. It is considered reasonable for an operator of a process unit to install, calibrate, maintain, and operate according to manufacturer’s specifications the requisite devices to monitoring continuously temperature and specific gravity or such alternate parameters which would indicate the degree of saturation of the absorbing liquid. In constrast, the exit temperature of the offgas is the primary determinant of the efficiency of a condenser. Again, suitable temperature recorders are available at a reasonable cost. The estimated one .’time capital investment Is $3,000. A record of the outlet temperature would verify that the condenser Is properly operated and ma 2 tained. EPA believes an operator can install, operate, calibrate and maintain according to the manufacturer’s specifications a temperature recorder to verify proper operation of a condenser. The operation of a carbon edsorber can be monitored by the carbon bed — — -- temperature and the amount of steam used to regenerate the bed. Steam flow B -4 ------- meters and temperature recorders are available at reasonable cost. The estimated one—time capital investment for Such eguipment is S1O,000. These parameters could be monitored to reflect whether the carbon adsorption unit has been consistently operated and properly maintained. Therefore, EPA believes that an operator of a carbon adsorber used as a pollution control or product recovery device could install, calibrate, maintain, and operate according to manufacturer’s specifications an fnte _ 9ratir g steam flow recorder and a carbon bed temperature recorder . Some operators may in t fl vent stream analyzers to aid in maximizing the recovery of organic cc i ii- pounds. No widely accepted performance specifications have been developed for such analyzers. If an analyzer is Installed without a recorder, the -vent stream should be sampled at the end of the adsorption cycle (at least once during every 4 hours of operation) and the concentration recorded as a means of verifying that operational modes remain consistent with the Conditions under which the performance test was conducted. B-5 ------- SECTION E DOCUMENT 13 HAZARDOUS ORGANIC NESHAP (HON) NSPS, NESHAP and HON Applicability Determination 06/09/95 13 ------- 06 u995 FRI ]3:55 F X 202 564 0053 OECA ORE AED 002 UNIrED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY \ Iilf / WASHINGTON 1 D.C. 20460 4 L JUN 9 1995 Non—Confidential OFA E0F ENFORCEMEI(r AND COMPUANCE ASSURANCE StJBJECT: NSPS, NESHAP and HON Applicability Determination FROM: • _ Air Enforcement TO: Ann Pontius, chief Air Compliance and Permitting Section While you contacted our office regarding a confidential enforcement matter, I would like to respond to you in a non— confidential manner so that this interpretation may be shared ith as wide an audience as is appropriate. 1ou have inquired whether the Hazardous Organic NESHAP (EON) overrides requirements affecting similar equipment under 40 C.F.R. Parts 60 and 61, the NSPS and NESHAPs standards, and if so, when. You pointed out that the HON provision at 40 C.F.R. § 63.160(b), Si.thpart H for equipment leaks states that: “While the provisions of this subpart are effective, equipment to which this subpart applies that are also subject to the provisions of: •(1) 40 C.F;R. Part 60 of this chapter will be required to comply only with the provisions of this subpart. (2) 40 C.F.1 . Part 61 of this chapter will be required to comply only with the provisions of this subpart.” The effective date of the HON is the date of final promulgation in the Federal Register .(April 22, 1994); the compliance dates for the Subpart H equipment leaks previsions range from October 1994 to October 1995, depending on the group designation. One interpretation of the HON language quoted above might be that the HON supersedes Parts 60 and 61 as of the effective date. However, those same sources would not be required to comply with the HON, under the HON compliance schedule, for six to 18 months. In essence, under this interpretation, there would be a period of up to a year and a ialf when such sources would not be required to comply with ither the HON or the NSPS/NESHA.P standards. We reject this interpretation. XY c ocyc!fld/RecycI b o ------- U U9 Xxii J b r.-ti 4U 5b4 UU J OECA URE D JUO3 We consulted with occ and the principal drafters of the rule in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, OAQPS. They agree with our assessment that no such anomalous situation was intended. It is EPA’s interpretation that Section 63.160(b) of the HON quoted above means that when compliance with the provisions of the HON is required, compliance with duplicative requirements of the NSPS or NESHAP is riot required. We do not want to allow a source to npt be subject to either standard for any period. Penalties for Violations of the applicable standard may be assessed. Your second inquiry concerns the definition of closed-purge systems. You have asked whether a sampling plan satisfies the requirements of NSPS Subpart VV, NESHAP Subpart V and the HON if it consists of an open valve which will be purged into a standard two gallon open top bucket. The purged material is collected in the open top bucket and then returned to the process. The definition of “closed purge system” is one of the issues raised in the legal challenge to the NON, and is one that we intend to resolve by clarifying this definition. EPA will shortly publish a Federal Register notice on this and other issues related to the challenge to the HON which will codify our interpretation of the meaning of closed purge systems, It was the intention of the rule to ensure that the unacceptable practice of purging to the ground or open ditch be prohibited. Where a closed-vent or closed—loop system is impractical, we intend to approve a system which purges into a container that is kept closed or covered when not being fiU.ed or emptied, such as the system you have described. Please feel free to contact Charles Garlow of my staff at 202—564-1088 with any further questions on these issues. cc: Regional HON Contacts Dr. Jan Meyer, OAQPS, OAR Pat Embrey, OGC - - Linda Lay, ORE-Air, OECA ------- SECTION E 14 VINYL CHLORIDE NESHAP Enforcement of National Emissions Standard for Vinyl Chloride NOTE: Attachment I is confidential and is included in Section I below 06128183 ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 NOTE: Attachment 1 of this document is CONFIDENTIAL JJN 2 8 and should not be made MEMORANDUM available to the public SUBJECT: Enforcement of National Emissions Standard for Vinyl Chloride , FROM: Michael S. A1ushinflI Acting Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Edward E. Reich, Director Stationary Source Compliance Division TO: Regional Counsels, Regions 1-VI & IX Directors, Air and Waste Management Divisions Regions II-IV, VI Directors, Air Management Divisions Regions I, V, and IX In order to encourage consistency in enforcing the standards governing emissions of vinyl chloride, 40 CFR Section 61.60 et seq., this memorandum summarizes our enforcement activity to date and sets out some general guidelines for determining when enforcement action may be necessary. History of Vinyl Chloride Enforcement So far, most of the actions initiated by EPA have been to enforce the relief valve discharge standard, Section 61 .65(a). Eleven cases have been referred to EPA HQ citing violations of this standard, nine of which have been solely for relief valve discharges. Of these, two have been filed and concluded by consent decree, three are ongoing filed actions, five have been referred to th Department of Justice or U.S. Attorney, and one is under review in EPA Headquarters. Enforcement of other portions of the vinyl chloride regulations has been limited. Two civil actions were filed in 1979 for failure to comply with the 10 ppm exhaust gas limitation by the end of the two-year waiver period authorized in Section 112 of the Act. These actions were concluded by consent decree. ------- -2- Four other case referrals were never filed and are no longer active. Two of these were to enforce the 10 ppm standard, and the other two cited various parts of the regulation, including the stripp .ng and reactor opening loss standards. Guidelines for Vinyl Chloride Enforcement We do not wish to establish a rigid standa;d for what degree of violations rises to the level of an actionable claim. However, the following factors should be considered to determine whether action to enforce the relief valve discharge staridard is warranted: 1) The frequency and size of the discharges . We encourage you to develop and refer enforcement actions where either or both of these factors is significant. For example, one filed action involved a total release of only 1,100 pounds of vinyl chloride but a large number (21) of violations. Another case was referred for only two discharges where one of them was for 25,000 pounds. 2) Length of time elapsed since most recent discharge . This may be an indication of whether the source has solved the problems which were causing the discharges. We have referred in the past, and we will continue to refer, cases seeking penalties only for past violations. However, you should place a higher priority on enforcement against sources which are continuing to experience discharges. 3) Violations of the reporting requirement . Section 61 .65(a) requires a company to report the occurrence of any relief valve discharge within 10 days. This requirement applies even if the company claims that the discharge was not preventable and thus not a violation. A few of the cases have involved failures to report, and in many instances EPA only learned of the discharges through issuance of a Section 114 letter. We consider reporting violations to be very serious, because our ability to enforce the standard hinges directly on self-reporting. The existence of reporting violations should weigh very heavily in the direction of initiating enforcement action. 4) Need or remedial measures . Even where the frequency and size of discharges is relatively small, enforcement action should be carefully considered if measures can be identified which EPA believes will prevent future discharges due to the same causes. 5) State enforcement activity . Authority to enforce the vinyl chloride standards has been delegated to many states. This authority is concurrent with, and does not displace, EPA enforce- ment authority. If a plant is located in a state where the ------- -3- program has been delegated, an initial contact with the state should be helpful in determining whether EPA needs to initiate enforcement. EPA should be prepared to take action, however, in any situation in which the state indicates it will not enforce or fails to do so adequately and in a timely manner. We interpret the standard to establish a pres ption that any relief valve discharge is a violation, with the company having the burden to show that It was preventable. Nonetheless, to be in a strong positior to litigate a case, the Agency should be prepared to show that specific measures are available which could have prevented the discharge, and that such measures were not taken by the source. A litigation report forwarded to Headquarters should include, at a minim : 1) The date and size of each relief valve discharge, including those determined to be emergencies. 2) The Region’s determination as to whether each discharge is preventable, i.e., a violation. 3) An analysis of the cause of each discharge. Attachment 1 is an example of the technical evaluation of a company’s discharges which was included as an exhibit to a litigation report referred to HQ. 4) A description of remedial measures designed to prevent the types of discharges which have occurred at the plant. As you can see from Attachment 1, this is a logical complement to the analysis of the cause of each discharge. - 5) A proposal for a minimt settlement penalty figure. Attachment 2 contains the informal guideline which EPA HQ has been using to derive a settlement penalty figure to assign to relief valve discharges and to reporting violations. We would appreciate your comments and suggestions, if any, of ways in which these schemes can be improved. Depending on the level of detail contained in the 10-day report submitre3 by the company, the Region may have to seek more information using a Section 114 letter to properly prepare the litigation report. Examples of records which may be useful are logs, written maintenance procedures, inspection manuals, incident reports, employee records (to show possible disciplinary action or failure to take auch action), strip charts, etc. This is potentially potent evidence, because it may reveal answers to such questions as: ------- -4- 1) Was the company following its own standard operating procedures? 2) Did the company allow a discharge to occur in order to preserve the integrity of the product and thereby save money? (E.g., low grade resin is less profitable than high grade resin, and this may affect operating decisions.) 3) Did the operator fail to recognize upset conditions? 4) Did the company fail to replace defective equipment despite a prior history of problems? 5) Did the company fail to analyze a recurring problem? 6) Did the company perform an engineering study (or retain a consultant to do so) and fail to adhere to the study’s recommendations? Attachment 3 is a sample Section 114 letter which was used •to develop the litigation report in one of the cases referred to Headquarters. This discussion has focused so far on enforcement of the relief valve discharge standard. We are also concerned that the Regions be consistent in enforcing other major provisions of the vinyl chloride standard, such as the stripping and reactor opening loss standards. As a legal matter, a single excursion of the stripping or reactor opening loss requirement can form the basis of an enforcement action. Because a single plant can process thousands of batches each year, however, it becomes a policy determination as to whether Borne level of violation will be viewed as not warranting enforcement action. At this point, EPA HQ is not prepared to give guidance on the appropriate threshold for initiation of enforcement of these portions of the standard, primarily because we have very little information on the level of compliance throughout the industry and no history of enforce- ment. One general observation applicable to these standards is that, as with the relief valve discharge standard, the Agency should strongly consider enforcement action if specific remedial measures can be identified which will reduce or eliminate the noncompliance.’ Also, the threshold for initiating the enforce- ment process, e.g., issuing a Section 114 letter, should probably be less than for referring a civil action. - We request your help in developing guidelines for enforcement of portions of the vinyl chloride standard other than the relief valve discharge standard. Specifically, we would appreciate suggestions as to factors which should be used to determine when enforcement action should be initiated. We request, from each Region, a s mary for each source of the percentage and magnitude ------- -5-’ f violations of the stripping and reactor ‘opening loss standards J own in the two most recent semiannual reports. In addition 1 Region I has indicated a need for the information listed in Attachment 4. We feel that such information can be valuable to the extent that it can be gathered from existing Agency records without conducting plant inspections or issuing Section 114 letters. This information should be submitted to Richard Biondi of the Stationary Source Compli’ance Division byJuly 29, 1983. If you have any questions about this memorandum, please contact Elliott Gilberg of the Office of Enforcement Counsel (FTS 382-2864) or Mr. Biondi (FTS 382-2845). Attachments cc v/attachments: NESHAP Contacts, Regions 1-VI, IX ------- ATTACHMENT 2 PENALTIES FOR VINYL CHLORIDE RELIEF VALVE DISCHARGES Penalty Assessed for Each Discharge Pounds of Vinyl Chloride Released Penalty 0 - 1000 $ 1000 1 - 2000 2000 2 - 3000 3000 3 - 4000 4000 4 - 5000 5000 5 - 7500 10,000 7500 - 10,000 15,000 10 - 12,500 20,000 over 12,500 25,000 Other statutory bases for mitigation may apply — e.g., economic impact of the penalty on the business ------- PENALTIES FOR RELIEF VALVE DISCHARGE REPORTI! C VIOLATIONS 1) Failure to report 4ischarges of 10 pounds or less: $2500/discharge 2) Failure to report discharges greater than 10 pounds: $2 000/discharge Discounts for reporting voluntarily (i.e., not in response to 114 letter): Within 6 months 80 6-12 months 65% 12-24 months 50% 24 months 25% Over 24 months 0% Other statutory bases for mitigation may apply - e.g., the economic impact of the penalty on the business ------- — i gI ‘ ____ UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY • REG Op fi 26 FEDERAL PLAZA M Y 20 1930 NEw YORK NEW ‘YORK 10007 CEJ LFmD MAfl, 1 TURN CE T UEc fr. William Wetze]. slant Manager Hooker Chemical Cccpany Rieo Division P. 0. ,x 1156 .ver Road lthgton, }ew Jersey 08016 Re: Hooker Chemical Coirp y Ruco Division Btzriin ton, New Jersey Plant Dear Wetzel: Section llli of the Clean Air Act, as amended, 142 U.S.C. §711114 (“the Act”), authorizes the EPA Adrniri.istrator (or his duly authorized dele te) to require the submittal of certain infor ation by emission so ces to enable EPA to deter x e their status of co p]iance with an applicable standard prorrn . 1 ted pursuant to Sections 111 or 112 of the Act and with any require- rient of an irplerrentation plan pursuant to Section 110 of the Act. Pursuant to Section 112 of the Act, regulations were prorrul ted at 4o CFR §61.60 et . for the control of vinyl chloride emissions • These regulations, the National Emission Standard far Vinyl Chloride, establish certain requite- nts which apply to plants which produce polyvinyl chloride. M r’e specific— ally, these regulations set standards for relief valve discharges (140 §61.65(a)), Tranual vent valve discharges (110 §61.6 1 4(a)(3)), rr2nual venting of ge.ses (ilO CFR §61.65(b)(5)), and equ.ipn nt openin (140 §6L65(b)(6)). As the owner and/or operator of a polyvinyl chloride ll2nufactux’ing f ci1ity which is subject to the regulator r requirerrents of Section 112 of the Act, the Hooker Chemical Cczrpany, Ruco Division (“Hooker”) is hereby requited, pursuant to the authority of Section 1114 of the Act and subject to the sanctions set cot n Section 113 of the Act, to submit the inforsiation called for in Attac r nt I concerning relief valve discharges, ir2nual vent valve • discharges, and other releases of vinyl chloride at its facility at River Road, rlthgton, New Jersey. This is to inform y i that Hooker rr y, if it so desires, assert a business confidentiality claim covering all or part of the infornation being xeqt sted. The claim nay be asserted by placing on (or attaching to) the infornation, at the time it• is. submitted to EPA, a cover sheet, atarrped or typed legend or other suitable farm of notice enploying language such as “trade secret,” Sfl• culthrop/tt : x119 6 : 11/30/80 - U’ 2AB -AF 2A1R-AF 2F —CE 2D —CE 2E?ZF-DD 2E 4F ;• -r z)-1 GTACC(-)IIE 1fl 3P DVORXDI SCOU’IICP ------- “proprietary,” or “ccrr any confidential.” Allegedly confidential portions ‘ otherwise non-confidential. docu i nts should be clearly identified by business, and xray be submitted separately to facilitate identification and1ing by EPA. If } oo desires conf1dent5. .l treatment or y Until a certain date or until the occurr ce of a certain event, the notice should so sta e. Inforuation covered by such claim will be disclosed by :E! A only to f2 e ’extent 1 end by v ans of the procedures, set forth in Subpart B, Part 2, O tet I of T tle 140 of the Code of Pedera). Begulations (140 CF? 2.201 If no ‘sucii claim accorrpanies the infon7atjon when it is received by EPA, it may be made available to, the public by EPA ,wit ut further notice to you. This infcz,i ation m. st be submitted within 20 days trun the receipt of this letter to Kenneth E g, Chief, Air & E v .ro er ta1 Applications Section, Pla.’riir g & Manag nt Division, at this address. In addition, any change in the infonmtion tist be reported no later than 5 days after such change occurs. This continuing r uir bent to provide notification of changes in the infon ation covered by this letter will renath in effect witil expressly ter dnated in writing by this office. You may address any questions concerning this matter to Saniel P. Ibulthrop, Esq., fl- forc nent Division, telephone n m ber (212) 2614-1196. Sirz erely yours, tuijo ?‘brales—Sanchez rector forcement Division Attac nt cc: Bruce L. Harrison w/attathn t Capehard & Scatchard Edward 3. Londres w/attathnent Assistant Director Bureau of Air Pollution Control New Jersey pa.r ent of flwir’orrnental Protecti i Mr. Raymond Abrarcwitz w/attachn nt Director of Pegizlatory Affairs Hooker Chemical Ccxiçany 3. ?lenczel, 2 ATh—AP 74. Kantz, 2 A -AP K. g, 2 PM-PA ------- AT1 AC} I Reauest for Inforn’at ion Pursuant to Section 1111 of the Clean Air Act 1. Please list the dates of all relief valve discharges of vipyl chloride z r r ( “VCM”) subsequent to tober 21, 1978 at the Hooker ez .cal ICokar (“Hooker”) po1yvi y1 chloride rranufacturlng facility at ? v 1ington, Ne Jersey (hereinafter “the plant”) caused (solely or in part) by preiratw failure of rupture di ks, and for each such incident provide the following ifonmtion: a. The length of tii the rupture disk was in service prior to its failure. b. The nanu.facturer of the disk. c. The type of disk (the rraterial out of which the disk was nade) d. corrective action taken iniiediately after the discharge in order to prevent subsequent rupture disk failures. 2. By letter of August 1979 from Bayñond Abrazrowitz of Hooker to ?4arcus Xantz of EPA Booker reported that on the weekend of August 11 and 12, 1979 all rupture disks irade of nickel at the plant were replaced with rupture disks ra e of nickel and teflon. Prior to August 11, 1979 how frequently and on what basis were rupture disks replaced at the plant? 3. Subsequent to August 12, 1979 how frequently and on what basis are (or will) ruptt ’e disks (be) replaced at the plant? . On what date did the Hooker CherrLtcal Conpany order the teflon and nickel ipttn’e disks which were substituted for the nickel rupture disks on the weekend of August 11 and 12, 1979? ------- 5. Please state the nazres and positions of: a.. The Hooker officials or errployees who Trade the decision to replace the rupture dis on August 11 and 12, 1979. b. The Hooker officials or errployees se reconr ndations or opinions were relied upon to irake the’ decision to replace the rupture disks. 6. a. Please set forth the reasons why the nickel rupttnle d.isks were replaced by the teflon and nickel rupture disks. b Th a what source did Hooker learn of these reasons? c. i what date did the Hooker Chemical Coripany first learn of these reasons? 7. a. Are the teflon and nickel rupture disks now being used at the plant , cre expensive than the nickel rupture disks previously used? b. If so, w ich rrr re expensive are the teflon and nickel rupture disks than the nickel rupture disks? 5. y did Hooker not install the teflon and nickel rupture disks at the plant prior to August 11, 1979? 9. Has Hooker used teflon and nickel rupture disks at any other plant which it o s and which is subject to the requirements of 1 0 CFR §61.60 et .? 10. If the answei’t . Question f9 is yes, please state the na , type, and ]ocation of each plant Which has used such disks and indicate the date on which teflon and nickel rupture disks were first used at each such plant. 11. At the 3.irlington plant does Hooker use de ss1ng tec1 iques to control pressure surges in the prepolyrrcrizers (“prepos”) and po tpolym rizerS (“popos’, during reaction? ------- 3 12. If’ the answer to Qiesti.on 11 is yes, please provide the following irii ’ornation a. Is the de ssirzg. a part of the xronorrer recovery process7 b. If so, describe the de ss .ng procedures and zr thodZ includirzg the types of equirxr nt used. c. Is pressure released to surge tar as part. of the procedure? d. If so, what js the cap city of eachaurgetank? e. Is dege.ssing autoiratic or f. i which poly erizers is de .ssing used? 13. In re rd to the techniques Hooker e ploys to control or prevent rie ected teirperature and pressure rises in the pr’epos and popos: a. Describe the general equiir nt and procedures used, including the norrral order of use. b. Are chemical shortstops used? c. If chemical shortstops are used, list them and briefly describe why they are effective and the basis of their effectiveness. c i. If chemical shortstopS are not used, i. Describe the reasons, if ary, why Hooker is prevent . from doing ii. Describe the reasons, if any, why Hooker chooses not to use short stcçs. 1M. Please describe the steps which were taken 1ji diate y prior to the following discharges of 17CM in an effort to prevent them: ------- a. The discharge fran popo 33 on February 1 i, 1979? b. The discharge fran pcpo IiA on I arch 111, 1979? c. The discharge fran popo 3A on Jur 211, 1979? 1. In regard to the February 111, 1979 discharge from popo 33: a. W y did Hooker charge an excess of initiator to the popo? b. What steps re taken to insure that the proper amount of initiator as used? i6. In regard to the March 111, 1979 discharge from popo 1 1A, what steps were taken to insure that the exper sn ta1 resin batch would not resu.lt in wicon- trollable pressure rises in the popo? 17. When experimental resins are to be produced at the plant, that steps does jooker now take to insure that the proper amount of is itiator is used? 18. By letter of February 26, 1979 fran Rayircnd Abramowitz of Hooker to Marcus Kantz of ‘A Hooker reported that on Febi,iary 19, 1979 500 gallons of vinyl chloride were released upai the opening of the outdoor gas - surge tank which feeds the incinerator. In regard to this release: a. What is the capacity of the surge tank? b. Describe in detail the purpose and use of the tank. c. When liquid i onral1y collects in the tank: 1. t is its approximate conpositi ? i L Is it normally r noved fran the tank? iii. If so, d y is it r oved from the tank? iv. How is it normally re ved? Is it removed to cqulpment, process, etc., or is it normally released to the ground? ------- d. Prior to the tii r of the relea.se , had Hooker issued any written, or verbal nstructioris to appropriate personnel corx erning these pro— cedures? e. If so, ilease des:ribe the instructions arx provide c ies of any written Instructions. j• Had the personnel who released the V received the instructions described above? g.. If so, please state when ar in what form (written or verbal). h. Please state the naiie ar position of the personnel who released the VCM. 1. Did these persons follow their instructions In opening the tank? j. If they did not follow instructions, why did they not do so? k. Why did they open the tank, releasing the V ’l? 1. at steps has Hooker taken to Insure that such discharges do not occur In the future? in. Please state the nan s ard positions of: i. The Hooker e ployees who opened the outdoor ges surge tank. ii. The Hooker elTployees who supervised those doing 50. 19. By letter of February 26, 1979 Hooker also reported that on February 21, 1979 100 gellons of viny], chloride werereleased from two caustic scrubbers. In re rd to these releases: a. The February 26, 1979 states that the scrubbers were vented to allow then to be used to receIve VCM flushes fran the day tank. I. Was this done to clear the blockage in the feed lines fran the norx r recovery system aM the day tank? ------- 11. Bow TnaI y flUSheS were required to clear the blockage? ill. Plea.se supply ascherratic die azshowir g the fic’w hues, valves, arx directicris of flow involved in this flushing process and in normal use of the equip ent (1 cl ing the - day tank, the scrubbers, the rn orrer recover r syste , etc.) and explain the procetliue. b. ‘va-at were the contents of the scrubbers at the tii of the release? c. ‘What steps, if arty, were taken to reduce the quantity of ‘ 7CM in the scrubbers before they were opened? d. at steps has Hooker taken to prevent recurrence of a siji ilar incident? e. Please state the names and positions of: 1. The Hooker ei ployees who vented the two scrubber’s. ii. The Hooker enployees who supervised those doing so. 20. By letter of May 7, 1979 fran Harold ubec of Hooker to Marcus Kantz of A Hooker reported that on May 1, 1979 500 pour is of V were released iranuahly fr r a vent valve on popo 1C. In regard to this release: a. Had the vent filter been cleaned on that day? If not, why not? b. Had the degassing filter which precedes the vent filter been cleaned and 1nspe ted after the previous batch? If not, why not? c. If anything unusual resulted fran the inspections •and cleanings described in a or b, above, please describe what occurred or what was observed. d. )hat steps had Hooker taken prior to this release in order to prevent plugging of the vent filter? ------- e. at steps has Hooker taken subsequent to this release to prevent future releases due to plugging of the vent filters at the plant? f. Please state the iiames and positions of i. The Hooker personnel who manually vented the 11CM. ii. The Hooker persorr el who Ei.pervised those doing so. 21. In the Na i 7, 1979 letter referred to in Question 20, Hooker stated that written instructions had been given to all production supe ivision at the plant that “manual vent valves are only to be used in condi.t Ions of emergency then rupture disk operation has failed to control reaction pressure.” a. Please provide a copy of these written instructions. b. Do the instructions mean that marrual vent valves aie to be used only after the n ture disk set pressure has been surpassed ar the disk has ruptured or failed to rupture? Please explain. 22. •By letter of August iZI, 1979 fran Raymor Ahramowitz of Hooker to ? arcus Kantz of EPA Booker reported that it had taken certain steps to prevent relief valve diseha es. In paragraph #2 on page 2 of the August 111, 1979 letter (Attathnent 1(A)) Hooker asserted that it had increased Its efforts “In the areas of inspection and maintenance.” Please describe in detail those measures to which this paragraph refers. 23. By letter of January 30, 1980 fran Harold D.ibec, Jr. of Booker to t Marcus Karjtz of EPA Hooker reported that on January 27, 1980 3)0 pourxis of ‘1CM had been released j nua11y fran a vent valve on popo IID. In regard to this release: ------- a. Did the supervisory arx operating persoi el follow the procedures irz 1uded in their instructions cited in Hooker’s ? ‘ 7, 1979 letter to PA described in Question #21? b. Subsequent to the discharge what steps has Booker taken to prevent subsequent simi].az’ disciErges? 21 1. By letter of February 7, 1980 from Harold Dubec, Jr. of Booker to Marcus 1 aritz of A Hooker reported that on February 1, 1980 119 0 poui s of V werexeleased frvin the north rupt’..u”e disks on popo 1A. In e r to this discharge: a. at steps did Hooker take to insure that the proper ant .c t of initiator was used in the affected batch prior to char .ng the reactor? b. at steps has Hooker taken to prevent clog g of the press e • transmission lines at the plant? c. Please state the nazi s az positions of Hooker persml who were operating popo 1A at the tine of the discharge. 25. Bow frequently does Hooker plan to clean all pressure transmission lines at the plant? 26. By letter of March 5, 1980 from Harold Dubec, Jr. of Hooker to Marcus Kantz of ‘A,Booker reported t at on January 21, 1980 3000 pour s of V 1 were irsnua].ly released from popo 1D. In re .rd to this release: a. Din the Hooker enployees who were present when the popo was charged follow prescribed procedures for charging the popo? ------- b. If the Hooker eriployees did not follow prescribed procedures, which procedures re not followed ar which person(s) failed to follow the procedures? Please state each person’s naive an positicz . c. If the Booker ployees did follow prescribed procedures, have the procedures been changed to prevent a future discharge for the sane or similar reasons? d. If such procedures have been changed, describe how they have been changed. 27. In regard to the Jariiary 21, 1980 discharge from popo ID: a. Please state the riaire of the foren n who instructed the control room operator to open the nanual vent valves. b. Please state the nane of the control room operator opened the rr2rllal vent valves. - c. Why was this discharge not recorded in the log book kept in the Control Room of the resin facility at the plant? d. 1’ en did the control roc n operator first infonz his supervisors, other than the fdre n, of the discharge? . Please state the narie(s) and position(s) of the supervisor(s) other than the for n who the control room operator first ii fo d. f. en dLd the foreman first infoi n his supervisors of the discharge? g. Please state the nane(s) and position(s) of the supervisor(s) who the foreman first infurnel. ------- h. Wjen did the January 21, 1980 discharge first caie to the attenti i of Harold P. Dubec, nager — Pnvirorlrer3tal Conp1iar e Hooker !t1Ca1 Ccrpany? a 1. ‘ Thy did the control room operator ar foren n delay in reporting the discharge to their supervisors? 3. Prior to the January 21, 1980 discharge had Hooker instructed all foren n ar operators to report discharges inTrediate2 ’? that date Cs) were these I structions given? k. at steps has Hooker taken to insure that all future discharges are pn pt].y reported? ------- ATTACHMENT 4 Survey of Relief Valve and Manaul Vent Valve Discharges from PVC Plants For each plant : A. Equipment information 1. Number and size of reactors used (for each type of resin, if known) 2. Number of batches per year (for each type of resin, if known) 3. Age of plant B. Discharge information 1. Number of discharges by year (1981 - 1983) 2. Size of each discharge 3. Frequency of three most common causes of discharges for each plant (for each type of resin, if known) - e.g., operator error, maintenance error, batch thickening, overcharging the reactor, water or VCM meter failure, power failure, premature rupture disc failure ------- ------- ------- .JuII 201. 2002 -4’. 7 _&as.L _LT - ‘V ? 7’,,. A Mission Statement Potential Health Problems From Asbestos Exposure to released asbestos fibers, wherever they are found, can cause serious health problems. If inhaled, asbestos can cause diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothehoma which disrupt the normal functioning of the lungs, although such diseases may take 20 years or more to develop. While exposure to asbestos may result in serious health effects, its risk to human health depends on the degree of exposure, hence EPA’s continuing effort to limit that exposure. It is estimated that there are friable asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in one-fifth of our nation’s 733,000 public and commercial buildings - offices and apartments, museums, s, hospitals, stores, industrial facilities, and others. r, nonfnable ACM is likely to be in an even much ercentage of all buildings. This represents a potential source of health problems far larger than the 35,000 primary and secondary schools which have been the principal focus of EPA’s asbestos activities to date. EPA Develops Exposure-Reducing Regulations Over the last two decades, EPA has striven to protect public health by reducing exposure to asbestos from a variety of sources. The Agency has developed regulations under the Clean Air Act: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP, 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (Tittle II, Asbestos Hazardous Emergency Response Act (AHERA); Asbestos Containing Matenals in Schools, 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart E; Asbestos Abatement, Worker Protection; Final Rule 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart C, and, Asbestos: Manufacture, Importation, Processing, and Distribution in Commerce Prohibitions; Final Rule, 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart I. Broadening EPA’s Approach Until now, the emphasis of the EPA asbestos program has n schools and demolitionlrenovation activities. In the vill be broader and more comprehensive, addressing y a much wider spectrum of buildings but also the f u vvLng areas: • Eliminating unreasonable risk (i.e., by providing worker training and accreditation, by conducting an aggressive enforcement effort, and by furthering the science to support a more risk-based regulatory approach) • Reducing unnecessary exposure (e g., through disciplined implementation of the asbestos-in-schools program, strong compliance enforcement and public education, and effective hazard abatement/management) • Enhancing productivity (e.g., by promoting increase private-sector initiatives, more extensive state programs, and greater coordination/integration with other regulatory and management programs). Balancing Programs And Resources The focus of EPA’s efforts will be on balancing these programs and resources at the federal, state, and local level to assure public health and safety. As the public becomes more aware of the presence of asbestos in its living environments, caution must be exercised, however, to prevent unnecessary asbestos removal actions, and to assure that a universe of trained, accredited asbestos inspectors, abatement professionals, and governmental enforcement personnel are available to handle asbestos safely when it must be removed Asbestos removal, while necessary to protect public health during renovation or demolition, is not otherwise required by EPA and is often not the building owner’s best abatement choice Rather, the Agency recommends a proactive, in-place management program whenever there is asbestos present in a building until circumstances require its removal for renovation or demolition Banning and Managing— Both Are Needed The prohibition on manufacture, processing and importation of most asbestos products is part of EPA’s overall strategy to prevent environmental pollution and will reduce long-term asbestos contamination by phasing out those products which account for major releases of asbestos into surrounding air spaces. At the same time, increased concern about the potential hazards of improper management of existing asbestos and/or removal practices 6EPA Environmental Protection Agency Integrating EPA’s Asbestos Prog rams ------- blic and commercial buildings does require proactive iing to prepare for new asbestos responsibilities It will re a comprehensive and community wide approach to the problem and broader responsibility and the full enlistment of affected groups, particularly states, to adequately address all levels of the environmental and health risks Leadership And Guidance— The EPA Role EPA’s asbestos program role in the coming decade will continue to be one of leadership and guidance, with a primary objective of enabling states to manage and enforce their own asbestos programs. At the federal level, EPA will continue to integrate Agency asbestos programs, coordinate with other federal agencies, assess the underlying scientific values and data on which asbestos regulations are based, and listen to and learn from the expenences in the field so that national strategies and guidance can be updated In addition, EPA will provide outreach, training and cooperative agreement funds to states to assist them in developing and enforcing strong state programs; will continue to provide outreach and technical assistance to the regulated community, and will maintain its effort to ensure compliance with Agency asbestos regulations through innovative, targeted, enforcement efforts. ------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ASBESTOS PROGRAMS / TOXIC SUBSTANCE CONTROL ACT REGULATED UNDER 2 ACTS CLEAN AIR ACT ABATEMENT ACT I 40 CFR 61 SUBPART A&M 4OCFR 763 SUBPART I ------- EPA ASBESTOS PROGRAM MANAGEMENT I CAA ljUJ EPA HEADQUARTERS REGIONS NESHAP ASBESTOS COO RD I NATOR / / / / HEADQUARTERS OFFICE OF PESTICIDES & TOXIC SUBSTANCES OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE MONITORING REGIONS N [ L1P t OFFICE OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES / REGIONAL ASBESTOS COORDINATOR OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT / \ \ / / / U i OFFICE OF REGIONAL COUNCIL I I 0 0 0 ------- SECTION F SECTION 114: INSPECTION, ENTRY AND MONITORING F ------- I 2 c m r SECTION F DOCUMENT I Guidance for Section 114(d) of the Clean Air Act 12/02/77 ------- I L /S UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 crc 2 77 OFFICE OF CNFORCc7 q MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Guidance for Section 114(d) of the CAA FROM: Director, Division of Stationary Source Enforcement TO: Enforcement Division Directors, Regions I—X Surveillance and Analysis Division Directors, Regions I—X Air and Hazardous Materials Division Directors, Regions I, III—X Facilities Technology Division Director, Region II Attached is the final guidance package on Section 114(d) of the CAA. This guidance incorporates comments solicited. by DSSE in my September 9 memorandum. it should be remembered that this guideline only covers the provision for nbtifying the States pursuant to the requirement. Even though most regions are currently practicing some form of this guideline, it should be implemented immediately. Guidance Ofl Suspension of such notification should EPA believe that the State agency is informing the sub]ect facilities is forthcoming. Any occurrences of this nature should be brought to the attention of the DSSE technical advisor for your region. Attached under separate cover are the regional comments on the interim guidance and DSSESS response. I would like to thank all those participating for their comments. Edward E. Reich cc: Richard Wilson Walt Barber Richard Rhoads Donald Goodwin ------- Guidance on the Use of Section 114(d): Notice to the State in Case of Certain Inspections. Introduction The purpose of this guideline is to provide general policy on implementing the requirements of Sec. 114(d) for- enforcement purposes. This guideline only covers the pro- visions of notification to the State agency of an EPA entry, inspection or monitoring. Future guidance will be provided for suspension of this notice should EPA believe that the State agency is informing subject facilities. This guideline should be used in conjunction with S.12 ‘General Policy on the Use of Section 114 Authority for Enforcement Purposes’. Requirements of Sl14(d ) New subsection 114(d) adds an additional requirement to the process of carrying out Section 114(a)(2) of the CAA. Section 114(a)(2) establishes right of entry for certain purposes and the right of the Administrator to sample emissions. - Section 114(d) provides that the Administrator (or his representatives*) shall provide the State air pollution control agency with ‘reasonable prior notice’ before carrying out Section 114(a)(2). It also requires EPA to indicate the purpose of the activity. Implementation The Regional office should first establish contact with the directors of State agencies to formulate a mutually agreed upon procedure for implementation of this new requirement. This procedure should include: Name of person(s) to be notified Means of notification (telephone or written) Lead time prior to any EPA field investigation (reasonable prior notice) Policy of notifying the state of unscheduled inspections Extent of the stated purpose of the visit *The term ‘representatives’ includes specific regional office and headquarters personnel and contractors with credentials under EPA contract. ------- In establishing these procedures with the State agencies it is suggested that the following guidance be implemented. Reasonable prior notice is interpreted as an official notification to the State agency that EPA is planning to conduct a surveillance action at a source and the purpose of that activity. it is recommended that all notifications be made within the 30 day period prior to the field activity( with 48 hours being the minimum notification period under normal circumstances. This is to provide sufficient travel time for EPA personnel and State personnel should the state choose to attend. An exception to the 48 hour notice would be a Section 303 situation where an emergency requires immediate attention. In such cases, the State agency should immediately be informed by phone that an action is needed. In cases where the region practices the policy of notifying states of inspections 2—3 months in advance with a request that they be contacted if state personnel wish to accompany them, a confirmation of only those state accompanied inspections should be made. A phone call a few days before the inspection is sufficient. An effort should also be made to minimize changes in this advanced notification schedule. The means of notifying the States can be in the form of written or oral communication. A record of all written or oral notifications should be kept. This should include.a record of unscheduled inspections and Section 303 actions. The record of the written or oral notification should consist of: (1) name and location of subject facility (2) date and approximate time of the activity (3) Regional office contact (phone number, etc.) (4) reason for the visit (5) name of State person contacted (6) date and time of notification Each office should have a central file containing records of all notifications should a request for a list of all notifications be made, It is not necessary for the State to approve the inspection before EPA proceeds. As stated in the amendments, all sources covered by an approved SIP or those under a State 113(d) order are subject to these requirements. Surveillance of those sources that are subject to EPA promulgated regulations do not require advance notice by EPA. In reality, few sources will fall into this latter category. If the region adheres to EPA policy, all emission points at a source should be inspected. In doing so it is likely that certain points will be subject to SIP regulations; therefore, subject to the notification requirements. it is recommended that States be notified of all EPA field actions, including those concerning non—state ------- regulations unless good cause exists not to do so. Written inquiries to sources under Section 114(a)(1) do not require advance notice to the State.- - Enforcement Procedures It is the intent of this additional section to increase State/EPA cooperation and, as such, it must be fully Complied with. However, as stated in Sec. 114(d) (2), failure by EPA to notify the State of any entry, inspection or monitoring will not prejudice any case involving information obtained during such an activity and will not constitute grounds for objection by the Source. ------- 2 SECTION F DOCUMENT 2 Regional Office Criteria for Neutral Inspections of Stationary Sources 05113181 ------- m9) X UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY _____ WAS INGT0N D C 2O4& MAY 13198j orrlcr or e rop: ,- MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Regional Office Criteria for Neutral Inspectjor s of Stationary Guidance FROM: Director Divisjo of Stationary Source Enforcement TO: Enforcement Division Directors Regions I—X Surveillance & Analysis Division Directors Regions z—x Air & Hazardous Materials Division Director Region II We have reviewed the neutral inspection schemes voluntarily submitted to us by several Regional Offices in response to the general guidance we issued on October 29, 1980. While the Regional criteria we have examined so far seem to track that general guidance, there are some problems remaining in these Regional schemes. This memorand is intended to isolate and clarify these problems, as veil as to make some amendments to the general guidance as suggested by some of the Regional drafts. The purpose of having a neutral inspection scheme on file in each Regional Office is to enable the Agency to justify to a court. a request for a warrant to conduct a compliance inspection in the absence of evidence that a particular source is violating the Clean Air Act. This type of inspection is usually conducted as part of each Region’s annual Overview Inspection Program, but might also be applicable to routine inspections of NESHAPS sources, NSPS sources, and any other sources for which the Agency has primary enforcen’ent responsibility (e.g., PSD sources or sources subject to New Source Review, where such programs have not been delegated to the States) and which must be inspected annually. One of the questions raised by our general guidance was the characterization of the criteria for selection of sources to be inspected. Several factors were listed as Optional criteria. By this description, we did not mean to infer that these factors could be ignored in the selection process. Rather, we intended that a source to be inspected must feet not only the criteria labeled Mandatory, but also at least one of those termed Optional. To take the selection process through only the Mandatory Criteria would leave too much latitude in source selection in violation of principles enunciated by the Suprer c Court In the 1q78 Parlo” ! Decision . We are therefore amending the general quidance to ------- —2- relabel the selection criteria as Primary and Secondary, with both sets of criteria to be applied to each source chosen for inspection. Every source inspected must meet the Primary Cfiterja and at least one of the Secondary Criteria. Authorization for inspection of NESHAPS sources, which had been set forth separately, is now subs ed in this characterization. At the suggestion of Regional staff, we have also expanded the list of Secondary Criteria. Additionally, in order to account for the presence of fugitive emissions, we have amended Secondary Criteria *7 to include sources with process ec!uipment reoulrinq particularly good operation and maintenance procedures in order to maintain compliance. It should be remembered that the purpose of a written neutral inspection scheme is to provide authorization for routine compliance inspections. Any source not covered in the schere cannot be inspected, absent suspicion of a violation of the Clean Air Act. Therefore, an additional problem in some of the Regional drafts is the utilization of source categories to select sources for inspection. The drawback in this syster is that a Region might wish to inspect a source long overdue for a routine inspection but be unable to do so because the source is in a cateqory not covered by the neutral inspection scheme. There is also the possibility that categorization will exclude various significant lead, NSPS, 0. NESHAPS sources. Please review your neutral inspection sche es once again to see if they fit within the attached amended general guidance. Feel free to call Mark Silvermintz of my staff at FTS 755—2570 if you have any questions. c7J rA ’ Eiward E. Reich Attachment cc: Richard 0. Wilson Acting Assistant Administrator for Enforcement David E. Pienotti Associate General Counsel for Air, Noise, and Radiation ------- CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF STATIONARY SOURCES FOR ROUTINE COMPLIANCE INSPECTIONS I. Sources subject to State Implementation Plans (including provisions approved or promulgated under 40 CFR §51.18 and Parts C and D of Title I of the Clean Air Act), or Sill of •the Act (NSPS) or §112 of the Act (NESHAPS). A. Primacy Criteria 1. In selecting a stationary source for a compliance inspection, the source should be one which: a. Emits an air pollutant subject to the Clean Air Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and for which: 1. The actual emissions or potential emissions while operating at design capacity with pollution controls are equal to or exceed 100 tons per year of the regulated air pollutant (Class Al. sources), or 2. The uncontrolled emissions while operating at design capacity ace equal to or exceed lOfl tons per year of the regulated air pollutant (Class A2 sources); or b. Emits less than 100 tons per year of a regulated air pollutant In the absence of pollution controls (Class B sources) and whic! may contribute to nonattainment of an ambient air quality standard for that pollutant; or c. Emits lead; or d. Is subject to a NSPS or NESHAPS. 2. The source should also be one which: a. Was reported within the preceding year by a State or local agency as being in compliance with applicable emission limits; or b. Was either not inspected by a State or local agency or by EPA during the preceding year, or was subject to an inconclusive inspection during the preceding year. ------- —2— B. Secondary Criteria The following criteria (at least one) should be used in selecting facilities for inspection from among those which meet the Primary Criteria (and may be used by each Regional Office in any order it chooses and in a manner best suited to its resources, workload, manpower, and area of geographic responsibility): 1. So r emits a criteria pollutant and is located in a nonattajnment area for that pollutant, or in an area unclassified for such pollutant; 2. Source has a significa impact upon local ambient air quality or emits a hazardous air pollutant; 3. Source is located in an urban area where there is greatest exposure of Population; 4. Source has a history of violations and now is reported as in compliance; 5. Source has had frequent changes in compliance status; 6. Source has undergone process changes subsequent to its most recent inspection or has commenced initial operation; 7. Source requires Particularly good operation and maintenance of pollution control or process equipment in order to maintain compliance; 8. Source is located near other Sources which have been scheduled for inspection at approximately the same time in accordance with this Criteria for Selection of Stationary Sources for Routine Compliance Inspections or under probable cause to believe the source is in violation of the Clean Air Act; 9. Source was subject to a prior compliance test, inspection or information request which produced inconclusive data concerning its compliance status. ------- G imJina 3 SECTION F DOCUMENT 3 Liability Agreement Between EPA Contractors and Stationary Air Pollution Sources 08/17/81 ------- f iQ L tur4, I UNITED STATES ENV 1RONMENTAI. PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 iifl. t i O,FICt O MEMORANDUM GENLRAL COUN$CL. SUBJECT: Liability Agreements Between EPA Contractors and Stationary Air Pollution Sources FROM: Ger ldj J j 1 ing Associate General Counsel Gra/ Co ra s and General Administration Division (A 34) TO Ed’ward Reich, irector Division of Stationary Source Enforcement (EN—341) Your memorandum of September 23, 1980, raises several, issues for our consideration concerning liability agreements between EPA contractors and stationary air pollution sources (hereinafter sources). You ask what the legal and practical effects are on EPA of a ‘hold harmless’ agreement between a contractor engaged in compliance inspections as art EPA representative under section 114 of the Clean Air Act and a source. Such an agreement would indemnify the source for payments it makes for injuries to employ- ees of the contractor. Additionally, you inquire whether amounts paid under such agreements could exhaust contract funds allocated to the inspection task itself. EPA has determined previously that EPA officers and employees conducting inspections may not enter into such agreements since they are not equivalent to private visitors. (See the November 8, 1972 memorandum captioned ‘Visitors’ Releases and Hold Harmless Agreements as a Condition to Entry of EPA Employees on Industrial Facilities.’) Di scussio’t A ‘hold harmless’ agreement is a contract of indemnification. As used in the context you describe, it obligates a contractor to reimburse a source for the source’s payments of contractor employee injury claims where the employee’s injury is caused by the negli- gence or breach of a duty of care by the source • The practical effect of such an agreement is to shift financial liability to the contractor for a source’s negligence or breach of duty. The costs associated with such an assumption of liability, if allowed as costs under the contract, raise both legal and policy concerns. ------- —2— A. Costs Generated From ‘Hold Harmless’ Agreements Could Expand Governmental Financial Liability Costs that are or may be incurred by a contractor when it ent ?s into a ‘hold harmless agreement can take the form of either increased contractor insurance costs, or the additional costs of the contractor’s indemnification of the source’s expendi- tures where there is an absence of insurance coverage. If a contractor entering into such agreements does so with EPA approval (by determining these costs to be allowable under the contract), EPA will ultimately bear the financial burder of the shift of liability since EPA will pay the costs of the increased premium or will reimburse the contractor under the contract for its indemnification payment. EPA will also have to bear legal costs associated with any litigation. In this context there is no reason for EPA to treat its contractor representatives any differ- ently than EPA officers and employees regarding their entering into ‘hold harmless’ agreements. (See November 8, 1972, memorandum referenced above.) 1. ‘ Hold Harmless’ Agreements Could Increase Contractor Opera- tional Costs The assumption by a contractor of financial liability under a ‘hold harmless’ agreement is contrary to EPA’s interest in minimizing operational costs. The typical government contract requires the contractor to secure workmen’s compensation and occupational disease insurance for the protection of its employees from job related injuries. This insurance requirment effectively limits the amount of the Government’s contractual liability for such injuries. Where the contractor is enrolled in a workmen’s compensation plan the employee is generally precluded from seeking recovery from the contractor outside the workmen’s compensation plan. The amounts received by the injured employee from the contractor is limited to rates of .awards established by the workmen’s compensation plan. The amount of the workmen’s compen- sation award is not recoverable under the contract. The EPA is obligated by its contract only to pay for the contractor’s costs in maintaining the workmen’s compensation plan. Thus, by requiring a contractor to maintain a workmen’s compensation plan the Govern- ment has accomplished two things. First, it has ensured that adequate financial protection is provided to cover injuries to contractor employees. Second, it has limited contractor opera- tional costs, as regards payments for injuries to its employees, to levels either conforming to maximum workmen’s compensation payments or applicable insurance or enrollment costs for the workmen’s compensation plan. This second factor is of significance to EPA contract consideratins. ‘lb the extent that a contractors’ operational costs are kept to a minimum, government costs are also reduced. A ‘hold harmless’ agreement has the dual effect of expanding the potential operational costs of the contractor to include these additional costs and increasing the total costs chargeable under the contract. ------- —3— 2. Indemnification Payments Under a ‘Hold Harmless’ Agreement Would Subject EPA to Reimbursements In Excess of the Amounts of Its Normal Liabilities An injured employee may elect to proceed directly against a nonemployer for damages under various state law theories of negli- gence or breach of duty. Such actions are not resricted by work- men’s compensation’s monetary limits on the amounts of possible awards. In fact, such awards are usually substantially higher because of the escalation in awards caused when such factors as pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss pf consortium, etc. are considered. Since a source is liable and will make payment for injuries to a contractor’s employee only where the employee can show negligence or wrongful breach of duty by the source, a contractor’s reimbursement of a source under the ‘hold harmless’ ageement would, in most instances, be for sums well in excess of workmen’s compensation limits. To the extent these contractor costs are determined to be allowable costs under the contract, EPA’S contract costs could substantially exceed cost projectioüs based only on the contractor’s potential liability under its workmen’s compensation plan. (Note also that, to the extent the contractor is found to be an agent or employee of the EPA in carrying out the inspection function, EPA’S reimbursement of a contractor’s indemnification for employee personal injuries could be argued to be an improper attempt to circumvent the Federal Tort Claims Act’s limitation on tort suits against the United States.) 3. ‘ Hold Harmless’ Agreements Adversely Affect Subrogation Act ions A contractor employee injured because of the negligence of a source could elect to receive compensation for his injuries under the employee’s workmen’s compensation plan. Payment by the plan would create a right of subrogation in the psyor. Thus, to the extent the contractor or the insurer makes payments to the employee it can proceed against a negligent third—party for recovery of the amounts of is payments. However, an indemnification agreement would severly hamper, if not preclude, recovery of the contractor’s or the insurer’s costs through a subrogation action. A contractor seeking to recover, from a negligent source, its expenditures for an employee’s injuries ii likely to find that the ‘hold harmless’ agreement effecively bare such recovery. This result is possible since recovery by the contractor from the source leads to recovery by the source from the contractor (using the ‘hold harmless’ agree- ment), thereby nullifying the subrogation action. Additionally, even where payment is made by the contractor’s workmen’s compensa- tion insurance carrier, the exercise by the insurer of it. subroga- tion right also leads to the contractor liability under the ‘hold harmless’ agreement. Thus the net effect of a ‘hold harmless’ agreement is to create higher contractor and higher EPA contract coats by hampering recovery action against potentially liable sources. ------- —4— B. Public Policy Does Not Appear to Favor These Types of flold Harmless u Agreements Two principles allow an injured party to recover damages from one whose actions caused the injury. First, it is in the public interest that a party is held responsible for the consequences of its ctions. Second, in the allocation of risks between partIes the’individual whose negligence causes an injury is in a better pos tionto be aware of the potential for harm and is better able to protect a third party from the risk of the harm. The ‘hold harmless’ agreement tends to reduce the duty of care usually associated with a source as an ongoing business concern. The agreement protects the source from the financial consequences of its negligence which causes injury to contractor employees. However, the source clearly possesses the best knowledge o the potential hazards of its operations. Additionally, it is in the best position to mitigate, to the extent possible, the risks of harm to individuals -such as contractor employees. Yet, since the agreement holds the source harmless, the incentives (i.e., potential financial liability) for its active participation in an effort to protect these types of individuals is substantially reduced. To the extent EPA concurs in its contractor’s execution of ‘hold harmless’ agreements, it appears to sanction the implemen- tation of a standard of care for a source which is less stringent for contractor employees than that imposed for EPA officers or employees. Since the contractor is acting as a representative or agent of the EPA, such a distinction appears to be unwarranted. C. Hold Harmless’ Agreements Could Exhaust Contract Funds Allocated To The Inspection Task If costs created by the ‘hold harmless’ agreement are allow- able costs under the contract, they can be satisfied from all available contract funds. The ‘Limitation of Costa’ clause genearily inserted into these types of EPA contracts would most likely limit EPA’S liability for such costs to sums specifically set out itt the contracts schedule. The scheduled amount would establish a dollar ceiling for costs claimed under a particular contract. Thus, the point in time at which the contractor incurs the particular coat (early in the contract period or late in the period) viii be determinative of whether contract monies will be exhausted in order to satisfy these coats. Conclusion A contractor’s execution of a ‘hold harmless’ agreement could have a direct effect on EPA operations and could create an unwarranted distinction between EPA employees and contractor employees acting as EPA representatives in inspections under section 114 of the Clean Air Act. However, execution of a ‘bold armlesa ’ agreement by an EPA contractor would not, in our opinion. be a violation of any law r regulation. ------- dh ll® SECTION F DOCUMENT 4 Execution of Confidentiality Agreements Under Section 114 of the Clean Air Act 4 12/15/83 ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY . S Z WASHINGTON D.C 20460 DEC15 1983 OFFICE or AIR, NOISE. AND RADIATION SUBJECT: Execution of Confidentiality Agreements under Section 114 of th Clean Air Act F Rc ’i: s trator for Air and Radiation (ANR—443) TO: Office Directors Regional Administrators The purpose of this memorandum is to review aspects of existing regulations and procedures with respect to agreements relating to confidential trea nent of information claimed to be trade secret. Obtaining the information needed for rulemaking and other activities of this office is essential to carrying out the responsibilities which have been assigned to it. Section 114 provides EPA with authority to obtain the needed information. In the past, we have generally sought to obtain the necessary information by requesting it in a Section 114 letter or by entering appropriate facilities. We have sought, wherever possible, to obtain responses to such letters and to arrange such entry on a consensual basis, i.e., to avoid the necessity to use the enforcement mechanisms provided by Congress. For that reason we have generally sought, and will continue to try, to respond favorably to reasonable company requests for clarification or explanation of information requests, for additional time, or for use of some more convenient and equally useful form or manner of response. We have also established, by regulation and by contract provision, reason- able safeguards, deterrents and sanctions against the improper disclosure of information claimed to be trade secret, including the debarment of contractors (whether or not such contractors have been designated EPA representatives) and the constituting of sources as third party beneficiaries of the terms of EPA contract provisions relating to handling of such information, 40 CFR Part 2, 41 CFR 15-1.3504, 15-1.350—2. These protections and remedies are additional to the protections and remedies afforded by other provisions of law, e.g., common law and State criminal law. 114 3—1 ------- SECTION F DOCUMENT 5 Use of Contractors to Conduct Clean Air Act Inspections After the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Stauffer Chemical Co., 464 U.S. 165 (1984) 02/22/84 5 ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ( fl X\I . . WASHINGTON. D C 20460 4 O’’ FEB 22 i OFFIrE OF ENFORCEMENT AND MEMORANDUM COMPLANCE MONITORING SUBJECT: Use of Contractors to Conduct Clean Air Act Inspections after the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Stauffer Chemical Co. , No. 82-1448 (decided January 10, 98 ) FROM: Michael S. Alushin Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Edward E. Reich, Director Stationary Source Compliance Division TO: Regional Counsels Regions I-X Directors, Air and Hazardous Management Divisions Regions It, IV, Vl-VIII, and X Directors, Air Management Divisions Regions I., III, V 1 and IX Many of you are aware that EPA’s authority to designate contractors as “authorized representatives” of the Administrator to conduct inspections under §114 of the Clean Air Act was one of the issues presented to the Supreme Court in United States v. Stauffer Chemical Co. , No. 82-1448. The case was heard by the Court on November 2, 1983, and decided on January 10, 1984. The purpose of this memoranduni is to inform you of the decision’s effect on EPA’s authority to use contractors, and to advise you of EPA’s present policy regarding the use of contractors to conduct inspections. A copy of the Supreme Court’s decision is attached. Supreme Court’s Decision This case came before the Court on a petition for certioriari from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Two questions were presented to the Supreme Court: (1) Whether EPA may designate a private contractor to conduct inspections as its “authorized representative” under §114 of the Clean Air Act, and (2) whether the government should be collaterally estopped from relitigating against Stauffer Chemical Company the question of whether private contractors can be “authorized representatives” because it had already litigated that question in a proceeding involving a different plant against Stauffer in the Tenth Circuit and lost. ------- -2- The Supreme Court unanimously held that “the doctrine of mutual defensive collateral estoppel is applicable against the government to preclude relitigation of the same issue already litigated against the same party in another case involving virtually identical facts.” (Slip opinion at 4.) Therefore, the government was collaterally estopped from relitigacing the statutory question against Stauffer, at least in those circuits in which the issue was one of first impression. The Court did not address the quest-ion of EPA’s authority to use contractoriTor inspections under the Clean Air Act. Background This case arose out of Stauffer Chemical Company’s refusal to allow private contractor employees, who had been designated by EPA as “authorized representatives” under §114(a)(2), to enter one of Stauffer’s plants in Tennessee. When Stauffer refused to allow the contractor’s employees to enter its plant, EPA obtained a warrant authorizing the contractor’s employees to enter the plant for the purpose of conducting an inspection. Stauffer refused to honor the warrant. Wher EPA brought a civil contempt action in District Court, Stauffer moved to quash the warrant. The District Court denied Stauffer’s motion, accepting EPA’s argument that the inspection authority conferred upon “authorized represen- tatives” by §114(a)(2) extends to private contractors retained by EPA. United States v. Stauffer Chemical Co. , 511 F. Supp. 744 (M.D. Term. 1981). Scauffer appealed this decision to the Sixth Circuit. In the Sixth Circuit Stauffer argued that (1) private contractors are not -“authorized representatives” as that term is used in §114(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act, and (2) that the government should be collaterally estopped from relitigating the statutory question against Stauffer because it had already litigated that question against Stauffer and lost in the Tenth Circuit, in Stauffer Chemical Co. v. EPA , 647 F.2d 1075 (1981) (hereinafter Stauffer 1) . The Sixth Circuit’s decision, United States v. Stauffer Chemical Company , 684 F.2d 1174 (1982) ( hereiriatter Stauffer II) , reversed the Tennessee District Court, but the three judges did not agree on the basis for the decision. Two judges agreed with the Tenth Circuit that private contractors are not authorized to conduct inspections *inder §114(a)(2). One of those two also held that the government was collaterally estopped from relitigating this statutory question against Stauffer. The third judge held that the goverflmen was collaterally estopped from relitigating the question against Stauffer, and therefore expressed his opinion that the court should not have reached the merits of the ------- —3- statutory question. Both the collateral estoppel issue and the question of statutory authority were presented to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court affirmed the holding of the Court of Appeals that the government is estopped from relitigating the statutory question against Stauffer. The Supreme Court did not reach the merits of the statutory question. The Effect of this Decision Because the Supreme Court did not reach the issue of statutory construction, its decision leaves unresolved the pre-existing split in court decisions on the question of EPA’s authority to use contractors for inspections. The Tenth Circuit, in Stauffer I , and the Sixth Circuit, in Stauffer II , have held that only EPA officers and employees may be “authorized representatives” of the Administrator under §114(a)(2). The Ninth Circuit in Bunker Hill Co. v . EPA, 658 F.2d 1280 (1981), and one District Court (in the Fourth Circuit) in Aluminum Co. of America v. EPA , No. M-80-13 (M.D.N.c. Aug. 5, 1980), have held that EPA may designate contractors as authorized representatives under §114(a)(2). It had been hoped that the Supreme Court would rule on the statutory question and resolve the issue of whether contractors and their employees could be designated by EPA as “authorized representatives” of the Administrator under §114(a)(2). It did not do so. Final resolution of the statutory question could be reached by a clarifying amendment to the Act or by one or more additional test cases in circuits which have not ruled on the question (assuming the Supreme Court would grant certioriari in such a case). EPA’s Present Policy on Use of Contractors to Conduct Inspections It continues to be EPA’s position that both the language and the legislaeii,e history of §114 support the use of contractors as designated “authorized representatives” of the Administrator under §114(a)(2). The Supreme Court clearly decided that EPA may not relitigate this issue with Stauffer in any of the circuits which have not yet ruled on the question. The Supreme Court did not decide whether Stauffer is also immune from relitigation of this issue in the Ninth Circuit or in other jurisdictions where either Federal courts or state courts have ruled in EPA’s favor. Therefore, EPA will not designate contractors as representatives of EPA to conduct inspections at Stauffer facilities, except perhaps in the Fourth and Ninth Circuits. Contractors should not,.absent express permission from Headquarters, be designated as representatives of EPA to conduct inspections pursuant to §114(a) in the Sixth or Tenth Circuits. The following states are located in ------- -4- the Sixth and Tenth Circuits: Kentucky and Tennessee in Region IV, Michigan and Ohio in Region V, New Mexico and Oklahoma in Region VI, Kansas in Region VII, and Colorado, Utah and Wyoming in Region VIII. Contractors may definitely be designated as representatives of EPA in the Ninth Circuit. States located in the Ninth Circuit are: Montana in Region VIII; Arizona, California, Nevada, Guam and Hawaii in Region IX; Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington in Region X. Therefore, EPA may continue to use contractors to conduct inspections of facilities in the Ninth Circuit. The First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh Circuits have not ruled on the question of whether contractors may be designated as authorized represen- tatives of EPA. 1 In the absence of any ruling prohibiting their use, EPA may continue to use contractors to conduct inspections of facilities owned by anyone other than Stauffer in these circuits. It is important that the Air Enforcement Division be kept informed of any potential new litigation on this issue so that the agency’s litigation efforts can be focused and coordinated. Toward this end, we are asking the Regions to notify and consult with Tracy Stewart, an attorney in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring (at vrs 382-2824) whenever the Regional Office wishes to seek a warrant to gain entry for a contractor. A warrant may be sought after a source has refused entry to a contractor or prior to seeking entry if the Region has reason to expect that the source will challenge the contractor’s right of entry under §114. We hope that Regions will not be deterred from using contractors, where it would otherwise be appro- priate, by the mere possibility of a court challenge. Attachment 1 The Middle District of North Carolina, located in the Fourth Circuit, has affirmed EPA’s authority to designate contractors as representatives of the Administrator. Aluminum Co. of America v. EPA, supra . ------- Q m I® SECTION F DOCUMENT 6 Final Guidance on Use of Unannounced Inspections 09/06/84 6 ------- i I !. 1\\ 1RO\\u.\ I \I I ’I()I I.( I 1 \ \t,I \c. ç — V \‘III\;14\, I) /4, . SEP -6 1984 OFFICI OF A MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Final Guidance on Use of Unannounced Inspections FROM: Director Stationary Source Compliance Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Air and Waste Management Division Directors Regions II, IV, VI—Vill and X Air Management Division Dir’ectors Regions I, III, V, and IX This memorandum presents final guidance on the use of unannounced inspections by EPA as a component of Regional inspection programs. Comments in response to the draft guid- ance issued on July 17, 1984 were received from six Regions and one State agency. Because all respondants generally supported the proposed guidance, changes to It were minimal. Those changes and comments are discussed below. One Region felt that the tone of the guidance was too strong in encouraging the use of unannounced inspections, that under the policy EPA is somehow required not to announce most of its inspections,• and that the policy might create unnecessary concern over what fraction of each Region’s inspections is unannounced. Our strong support for use of unannounced inspections as a component of an overall inspec- tion program, which comes through in this guidance, is based on the belief that they are more representative of normal operating conditions. While we recognize the concerns asso- ciated with use of such inspections, several Regions perform a high percentage of unannounced inspections without adverse impact on resources or EPA/State relations. However, although this guidance does encourage the use of unannounced inspections, no fractional or percentage requirements were established or implied; this judgment should be made by the Region in light of the nature of the inspections to be performed and the sources in the Region. We would expect to see some program in all Regions, however. ------- 2 Another Region expressed a concern for program imple— mentation: We would like to emphasize the need for maximum flexibility and control to be retained by the Regional Office staff in setting up and conducting unannounced or announced inspections. We believe this guidance offers a great deal of Regional discretion in implementation of a nationally—consistent inspection program using unannounced and announced inspections. While the guidance offers direction and options, it also defers to Regional experience: As the guidance specifically notes Regional Offices are free to vary the procedures used if they believe an alternative approach would be preferable. One Region expressed concern that an inspection policy utilizing unannounced inspections could •damage the working relationships of inspectors and the company officials, and that some companies will shut down or refuse entry in light of what they perceive is a change in agency attitude. While these concerns are real, Regional experience has shown that they can be minimized such that they are not an impediment to performing unannounced inspections. Most sources accept unannounced inspections and consider them little more than an inconvenience once they realize that EPA has the legal right to perform them, and will do so when appropriate. Experience indicates that companies which refuse entry to EPA inspectors are few, and that entry is usually just delayed until the company discusses the matter with Regional Counsel. Finally, one Region requested clarification on whether the definition of an announced inspection included such activities as stack tests, CEM audits, and PSTs. We believe the definition of an announced inspection would include these types of site visits, however, Regions are free to assess these activities for announcement purposes on a case—by—case basis if that has been their previous practice. c , Edward E. Reich Attachment cc: Air Program Branch Chiefs, Region I—X Air Compliance Branch Chiefs, Regions II, III, V , VII, IX ------- Guidance On EPA Use of Unannounced Inspections For Stationary Sources of Air Pollution The inspection is the primary compliance assurance method presently available in the air program for validatin source performance. As such, the issue has been raised concerning whether or not inspections should be announced- to the source in advance of the actual visit. To assist in responding to this issue, the Stationary Source Compliance Division (SSCD) surveyed (through correspondence dated January 18, 1984) EPA Regional Office practices and experience in performing both announced and unannounced inspections. Based on the information compiled through this survey, SSCD recommends that all Regional inspection programs incorporate unannounced inspections as part of their overall inspection approach. The use of this inspec- tion type has value in obtaining data which are more represen- tative of normal source operating conditions and can encourage continuous source compliance. Possible obstacles to the use of this type of inspection identified by some Regions have been successfully addressed by the Regional Offices which effectively carry out an unannounced inspection program and are therefore no overall bar to its use. The SSCD survey conducted earlier this year received nine Regional responses. From these responses several observations were made. Usage of unannounced inspections is highly variable among Regions; several Regions perform them in the majority of Situations while others only perform them under very limited circumstances or not at all. The most commonly cited positive aspect of performing unannounced inspection is the opportunity to observe the source under normal operating conditions, since the source does not have time to prepare for the inspection. Other positive aspects mentioned are: o Detection of surreptitious violations; • Detection of visible emissions and O&M type problems and violation; o Creation of an increased level of attention by a source to its compliance status, and o Projection of a more serious attitude toward surveillance by the Agency. One Region found the in violationu rate in one State in 1982 to be three times higher at sources where inspections were unannounced versus announced. ------- 2 Some of the potential negative aspects of performing unannounced inspections were reiterated by several Regions: o The source may not be operating, or key plant personnel are not available; and o There may be an adverse impact on Regional resources or EPA/State relations. However, as previously noted, these concerns have been addressed and were successfully resolved by Regions which make fuller use of unannounced inspections. Therefore, it was felt the cited drawbacks were more anticipated than real and could be overcome. The Conclusion drawn from this survey is that all Regions can and should perform unannounced inspections when appropriate as a component of their inspection programs. The following guidance addresses the issue of wl?en announced or unannounced inspections are more appropriate, and provides procedures based on Regional experience which facilitate the incorporation of unannounced inspections into Regional inspection programs. Regional Offices are, however, free to vary the procedures used if they believe an alternative approach would be preferable. Definition Of An Announced And An Unannounced Inspection For the purpose of this guidance, an announced inspection shall mean an onsite visit where the source to be inspected is given advanced notification by the control agency of the specific date of the inspection such that enough time would elapse to permit significant source operating modifications prior to the site visit. An unannounced inspection shall mean an onsite visit where the control agency provides no prior notification of the actual date of the inspection to the Source, or where notice is given shortly before the inspection such that the representativeness of the source operation is not likely to be affected. Advanced notification of both announced and unannounced inspection dates shall be provided to the State or local control agency. In this regard, please note the requirements of Section 114(d) of the Clean Air Act relative to notice to States. ------- 3 Announced Inspections EPA is not required by federal regulation to announce the date of an impending inspection to the source. Therefore, announced inspections should be performed by EPA and its’ representatives when some specific purpose is served by providing such notice. Situations where announced inspections would be appropriate are: o When specific information is being sought which must be prepared by the source, or where the source must make significant accommodations for the inspector to gather the information; o When the assistance of specific plant personnel is necessary for the successful performance of the inspection, i.e., the information they provide can not be obtained from other on—duty plant personnel or by a follow—up information request; o When inspecting government facilities or sources operating under government contract where entry is restricted due to classified operations; and • When inspecting un—manned or extremely remote sources. Questionable operating status of a source or process generally does not preclude utilizing an unannounced inspection. When daily operating status is questionable, the inspector may confirm it with the source just prior to leaving for the inspec- tion. The inspector may also wish to consult with the State or local agency to obtain any current information they may have about the source’s operational status. Unannounced Inspections Unannounced inspections will provide the most representative picture of normal source operation and practices. They should be performed whenever there is no reason for announcing the inspection to the source as described previously. As an alternative to arriving at the source totally unannounced, if in the inspector’s judgment the representative— ness of the source operation would not be altered and the success of the inspection would be improved by contacting the ------- 4 source shortly before the scheduled inspection time, this may also be considered unannounced. If this latter method is used, the amount of advanced notice given the source should be noted in the inspection report. Inspection Announcement Responsibility When EPA accompanies a State or local agency in conducting an inspection, or where EPA is requested by a State to assist in compliance monitoring and enforcement at a source, the decision regarding inspection announcement should defer to the preference of the State or local agency. When the State or local agency accompanies EPA on an EPA—initiated inspection, inspection announcement shall be the responsibility of EPA and the State or local agency should be so informed. Inspection Announcement Protocol The decision on inspection announcement to the source and the name of the responsible individual should be noted in the inspection report. The State or local agency should be given a minimum of five working days notice in advance of an inspection, whether it is announced to the source or not. An exception to this minimum time period would be when the inspec- tion is scheduled in response to an emergency situation which does not allow such advanced notice. In cases where EPA has a reasonable basis for believing the State or local agency will notify the source of the inspection, no notification is required. If the source is to be given advance notice of an inspection date, it should be afforded a minimum of five working days notice, but no greater than that given the State or local agency. This latter point will assure that the State or local agency is always notified before notice is given to the source. When announcing an inspection to the source, advanced notice may be given by telephone or in writing. Instances where written notification (instead of oral) is appropriate are: o When requested by the State/local agency or by the source; o When extensive or specific .records are being sought, o When the inspection is to be performed solely by an EPA contractor; o When inspecting government facilities with classified operations or otherwise restricted entry; and Special—purpose inspections, e.g., to establish conditions for a source—specific si revision. ------- 5 If noticejs given orally, the date of the telephone call and the person contacted should be noted in the inspection report. A copy of any written notification should be attached to the inspection report. Unannounced Inspection Ithplementation State and local agencies should be notified by EPA that unannounced inspections are a component of EPA source inspection programs, and that they will be performed. A pre—inspection review of all pertinent sources of infor- mation on the source should be made (or intensified) to avoid any preventable inconvenience to the source as a result of the inspection. This should include contact with the State or local agency to obtain any additional information which they may have. Sources may be contacted as necessary, and notified that an unannounced inspection will be performed during a specified time period (e.g., quarter or fiscal year) and that they should notify EPA if key plant personnel or processes will be unavailable for known extended periods. Portable sources, such as asphalt concrete plants, may be required, pursuant to Section 114 to report their scheduled location(s) on a monthly or quarterly basis, if questionable source location is an impediment to performing unannounced inspections. ------- SECTION F DOCUMENT 7 Transmittal of Reissued OAQPS CMS Policy 03/31/88 7 ------- ( CMTED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WkSH GTON,DC 2 6O p ‘4 C .7 MAR 31 1988 OfV E OF AI AflO ADIATIOr4 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Compliance Monitoring Strategy for FY 89 FROM: John S. Seitz, Director Stationary Source Compliance Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Air Management Division Directors.. Regions I, III and IX Air and Waste Management Division Director Region II Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Directors Regions IV and VI Air and Radiation Division Director Region V Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII and X I am transmitting to you the attached Compliance Monitoring Strategy (CMS) for implementation in FY 89. This strategy is the culmination of a multi—year effort that focused on addressing some very important issues of the Air compliance program. I feel the CMS makes major strides in guiding our surveillance activities in a direction that will dramatically improve the program. As yo now, the Compliance Monitoring Strategy will replace th. Inspection Frequency Guidance (IFG) in F! 89. The CMS emphasizes flexibility with accountability. This strategy recommends developing a comprehensive inspection plan that identifies all sources or source categories committed to be inspected by the State agency (means State or local agency throughout) during their fiscal year. ------- —2— The State inspection plan must address national priorities and may also include inspections not normally of EPA concern. The plan, to fully utilize the flexibility offered, will be organized around four groups of sources. Group I: Traditional stationary sources such as Class A and known Class B SIP, NSPS, and operating NESHAPs sources. Group II Asbestos D&R Strategy contractors. Group III: Small VOC Compliance Strategy sources. Group IV: Sources of State concern. High Points of the New Strategy New features of the Compliance Monitoring Strategy are the following. (1) Ability to address local air pollution concerns. The CMS provides State agencies with the discretion to address significant local air pollution concerns such as citizen complaints, odor problems, and other localized toxic, hazardous, and nuisance issues. These types of concerns may not be national priorities, but are legitimate resource expenditures under this strategy. Group IV is where local issues and new State—specific initiatives may be addressed. (2) Use of inspection targeting. The concept of Inspection targeting provides an approach to systemically direct resources toward the most significant problems. The approach employed is a PC—based model using multiple targeting criteria to determine inspection frequency. The targeting model accepts source specific targeting data supplied by the State inspector in such areas as plant emis- sions, c liance information, and air quality factors. The model a e values to these data, and mathematically combines the val tO produce a ranking of sources to be inspected along vi the estimated resource costs. ------- —3— (3) Account for the total inspection activity. This strategy will credit a program for its total inspec- tion activity. The total State inspection resource budget must be provided to EPA for this key aspect to be accomplished effectively. (4) Maintain minimum resource expenditure levels in the inspection program. Minimum resource expenditure levels for Group I sources are defined to be the average inspection effort over the last three years. The levels for Group II asbestos D&R contractors are those reported in the SPMS for the latest fiscal year. Group III resource levels are the minimum number of inspections required by the Small VOC Source Compliance Strategy or supplied by the State, whichever is larger. Group IV levels are generally supplied by the State. 5) Focus on national priorities. Each year the Compliance Monitoring Strategy will reflect the Air program’s stated national priorities as identified in EPA’S Operating Year Guidance. These national priorities are encompassed by Groups I, II, and III. Comments The responses I reviewed from both State and EPA personnel were universally supportive of the general approach in the CMS. I thank you for your time. The kinds of concerns expressed typically revolved around the following issues. 1. Targeting model input data may not be known by the inspector. Since the model’s input is often qualitative and is so critical to effective source compliance understanding, the lack of i h data is a key finding. In addition, experience has shov at such a structured model helps guide an inspector toward t neded data to carry out effective source inspections and provtds supervisors with valuable management control inforsation. ------- —4— 2. More resources (Regional and State) will be needed to implement the CMS with targeting. Our experience has shown that initially more time is required to establish the source inventory, to develop a working database, and to negotiate a plan. However, the initial resource commitment is very dependent upon the current condition of an agency’s database. Thereafter, the resource burden is greatly reduced. Given a principal aim of targeting is to be a more focused use of scarce resources, targeting over time, is expected to realize a resource savings. A program using targeting should find and correct more problems than a program that does not. Therefore, resources may actually go further because of more effective use. 3. The Inspection Frequency Guidance (IFG) should remain an option. We recognize in some cases, as mentioned in the CMS, the current IFG will be a more viable means for States to meet their inspection commitments. Therefore, the IFG is the alternate approach. However, we strongly encourage the use of the CMS with targeting whenever possible. To further promote the CMS, we intend to monitor, in which States and for what reasons, the CMS is not used. One final observation, after reviewing the comments I found a more comprehensive reading of the strategy should answer any remaining questions. It became apparent that inadequate attention was given to reviewing the strategy because so many questions and comments were already answered in the draft CMS. I will be happy to discuss with anyone issues associated with implementing and interpreting the CMS, but please read it carefully first. Next Steps SSCD I s arranged to conduct Regional training (States may be in t.d as well) in the use of the inspection targeting model and provide on—call technical support. Please contact Howard Wright at FTS 475—7034 to schedule training. To effectively coordinate ten Regions training, Mr. Wright would like to know what Regional dates are suitable for this one day training session. Please notify him of your preferred dates by April 22, 1988. ------- —5— The diskette containing the model along with the D. cription and Explanation document will be distributed at the training sessions. For technical support in the model’s operation, please contact Perrin Quarles Associates, Inc. at 804—979—3700. Attachment cc: Air Compliance Branch Chiefs Regions II, III, IV, V, VI and IX Air Program Branch Chiefs Regions I, VII, VIII and X ------- SECTION G NEW SOURCE REVIEW AND PREVENTION OF SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION G ------- I SECTION G DOCUMENT 1 Guidance on Enforcement of Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements Under the Clean Air Act 12/14/83 ------- (1;iu1II UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY _____ WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460 4LpcIO tG OEcI4 3 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Guidance On Enforcement of Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements Under the Clean Air Act -FROM: Michael S. Alushin Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Edward E. Reich, Director -c .E ç Stationary Source Compliance Division TO: Regional Counsels Regions I-X Directors, Air Management Divisions Regions I, V and IX Directors, Air and Waste Management Divisions Regions II-IV, VI-VIII, and X This guidance discusses enforcement of Part C of Title I of the Clean Air Act, dealing with the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) of the ambient air quality. The guidance explains the use of Section 167 of the Clean Air Act as an enforcement tool and provides assistance in choosing between §167 and the alternatives available for enforcing against PSD violations. Violations of Part C include construction or operation of a PSD source (as defined under the Act and the PSD regulations) without a permit, construction or operation with an invalid permit, and construction or operation in a manner not consistent with a validly issued permit. We believe that §167 of the Act provides EPA with a significant enforcement mechanism in addition to §113,’the Agency’s main enforcement tool, but it does not preclude resort to any remedies available under § l13 or 120. Section 167 should be used in situations where a source is constructing or operating without a valid permit or in violation of a valid permit and EPA’s main interest is a quick imposition of injunctive relief to stop the violation. Where time is not of the essence and/or the Agency wishes to collect penalties in addition to exacting injunc tive relief, § 113 or 120 provide more appropriate remedies. ------- -2- Thus, depending upon the circumstances of a particular case, EPA may commence one or more of the following actions against a source that is in violation of PSD requirements: (a) Issue an order or seek injunctive relief under § 167 to prevent the source from constructing or operating in violation of the PSD requirements; (b) Issue an order to comply under §113(a); (c) Seek civil remedies under §113(b); Cd) Seek criminal penalties under §113(c); (e) Assess and collect noncompliance penalties under §120. I. Analysis of Section 167 Section 167 of the Clean Air Act provides: The Administrator shall, and a State may, take such measures, including issuance of an order, or seeking injunctive relief, as necessary to prevent the construction of a major emitting facility which does not conform to the requirements of this part, or which is proposed to be constructed in any area included in the list promulgated pursuant to paragraph (1)(D) or (E) of subsection Cd) of Section 107 of this Act and which is not subject to an implementation plan which meets the requirements of this part. 42 U.S.C. §7477(1978) Depending upon whether or not EPA has approved a State’s Part C (PSD) State Implementation Plan (SIP) provisions under Section 110(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act or delegated the PSD program to the State, Section 167 creates two separate and distinct enforcement obligations for EPA. This is consistent with EPA’s policy of allowing the States primacy where they have the pain responsibility for a program. In those States that have not been delegated the PSD program or do not have approved SIP PSD provisions as required by §161 (PSD requirements for SIPs), EPA has the authority to regulate the construction of all major emitting sources that are subject to PSD review under the Act. Any person wishing to construct such a source in one of those States will be required by §165 (preconstruction require- ments) to obtain a PSD permit from EPA. If the proposed source would violate the provisions of the PSD regulations, EPA must deny the permit. If EPA issues a permit, the Agency will be ------- —3— responsible for initiating appropriate proceedings should the source subsequently violate any permit provisions. Likewise, the Agency is responsible for taking enforcement action against a source which commences construction without first obtaining a PSD permit. Once its PSD SIP provisions have been approved or delegated, pursuant to §110(a) (2) and 40 CFR 51.24, the State, rather than EPA, assumes primary responsibility for administering the PSD program. The Agency does not completely relinquish its obli- gations, however. Rather, it assumes an oversight function. PSD permits issued by the State remain federally enforceable. 40 CFR § 52.02(d), 52.21(r), and 52.23. If the State takes appropriate enforcement action, it is unnecessary for EPA to initiate enforcement proceedings. If the State fails to take appropriate action, however, Section 167 provides that EPA must take measures adequate to prevent the construction of the noncom- plying source. EPA can take such action at any time the Agency deems it necessary. The Agency is not forestalled by any action initiated by the State from simultaneously or subsequently taking action against a source that already had commenced construction or operation. Thus, EPA retains PSD enforcement authority and, where appropriate, is expected to initiate PSD enforcement pro- ceedings bqth before and after the PSD SIP revisions have been approved 11 Additionally, §167 requires. EPA to take action directly against a source found being constructed or operating pursuant to a PSD permit that conflicts with the requirements of the Clean Air Act, implementing regulations, or approved SIP require- ments. This provision gives the Administrator authority similar to that possessed under §113(a)(5) and (b)(5) to prevent illegal construction or operation of new sources in nonattainment areas. 1/ Senator Muskie noted this continuing Federal enforcement obligation. He stated: “toince the State adopts a permit process in compliance with this provision, the Environmental Protection Agency role is to seek injunctive or other judicial relief to assure compliance with the law.” 123 Cong. Rec. S 9169 (daily ed. June 8, 1977) (remarks of Senator Muakie). Senator )fuskie’s reference to “injunctive or other judicial relief” should not be construed as precluding resort to an administrative order mechanism. Such an interpretation would conflict with the clear wording of §167. Rather, we believe that Senator Muskie’s reference to “other judicial relief” provides clear support for the propoaitipn that EPA may resort to the civil and criminal penalties provisions of §113(b) and (c). ------- -4- Under Delegation Number 7-38, the Administrator has delegated authority to issue §167 administrative orders to the Regional Administrators and to the Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. The Regional Administrators will, in most instances, be the parties to issue §167 orders and, pursuant fo Delegation No 7-38, must consult with the Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air and the Director of the Stationary Source Compliance Division before issuing such orders. The Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation may issue §167 orders in multi-Regional cases or cases of national significance. In addition, the Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation must consult with the Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air and must notify any affected Regional Administrators or their designees before issuing such orders. II. Enforcement Actions Under §167 and §113(b) A. Construction Without a PSD Permit Construction Not Consistent with a Validly Issued Permit 1. Pre-Operation Remedies Section 167 will provide a particularly effective enforcement tool against an owner or operator that has commenced construction without having obtained a PSD permit or is constructing in a manner not consistent with a validly issued permit. In this situation, EPA should take action to halt construction of the source immediately. This may be accomplished most quickly under §167 by means of an adminstrative order or by obtaining judicially- imposed injuctive relief. When using §167, EPA should normally first issue an administrative order. The Agency should then file a civil action if a violating source does not immediately comply with the order. In cases where EPA has good reason to believe that the order would not be obeyed, however, we should file a civil action for injunctive relief immediately, without first issuing an order. In appropriate instances, EPA may issue an order or file a complaint under §167 while proceeding concurrently, through § 113 or 120 actions, to collect civil and/or noncompliance penalties. Section 167 gives the Administrator the authority to take Tm èdiat action without being constricted by the procediiral 1imftationi et forth in §113. In all cases where possible, however, EPA should issue the source aüotice of violation (NOV), with a copy being sent to the appropriate State agency. The NOV does not have to be issued concurrentT with a §Lb! order , but ------- -5- the §167 order should be followed up as soon as practical with the NOV. This notice should explain the full range of possible EPA enforcement actions. Even if circumstances require a §167 court filing before meeting NOV procedural requirements, prompt issuance of the NOV will allow EPA to take action under §u3 at ã1 äter date if—the Agencydecide to d so. - In many instances, EPA learns that a source is constructing without a PSD permit or in violation of a validly issued permit early enough in the source’s construction schedule to allow the agency time to act solely under §113. In these cases, the Agency may choose to commence a civil action under §113 for injunctive relief and/or monetary penalties instead of acting under §167 where remedies are limited to injunctive relief. Civil penalties are available against a source for violations even prior to the time it has commenced operation. One type of case occurs when a source is being constructed in violation of the terms of its PSD permit. For example, if the owner delays in meeting a schd uThto install control equipment or seeks to install equipment that will not meet the emission limits in the PSD permit, the Agency should take action to require the necessary injunctive relief and to recover monetary penalties. Penalties are appropriate even if no pollutants actually have been emitted because the PSD permit is issued pursuant to the SIP, and thus a requirement of the SIP has been violated. EPA should seek penalties for each day that the source is in violation of PSD permit requirements, commencing on the date on which the source began to install the non-conforming equipment, or August 7, 1977, whichever is later, and continuing until the source satisfies the com iance schedule specified in a judgment or in a consent decree.’! Another type of case arises when a source is bei & onstructed without a permit . Here, also, injunctive relief and penalties are appropriate. The penalty period begins with the date that construction began. “Construction” for the purpose of this 2/ Even if the source has derived no economic benefit by installing the nonconforming equipment, EPA still should seek penalties under §113(b). The Penalty Policy provides for other factors which guide the choice of penalty figures. In addition, EPA has promulgated a specific guideline for permit violation penalty settlements. That gui4eline is contained in Appendix I to this guidance. The guideline was issued on February 1, 1981, by Jeffrey Miller, then Assistant Administrator for Enforcement. Appendix I updates the 1981 guideline to reflect organizational changes, and to elaborate upon some of the examples. ------- —6- determination is defined as activity beyond that permitted under the policy enunciated in the December 18, 1978 memorandum from Ed Reich to the Regional Offices entitled, “Interpretation of ‘Constructed’ as it Applies to Activities Undertaken Prior to Issuance of a PSD Permit.” (Copy attached as Appendix II.) Th penalty period ends when the permit is granted or is scheduled by EPA to be granted. Even if the source is put on a compliance schedule in a consent decree before then it should not be allowed to enjoy the economic advantage of its violation of PSD requirements. It is important to note that even if construction is halted, the violation continues. Naturally, though, priority should be given to cases where injunctive action is required. Equally important, the Agency should not delay issuance of PSD permits for sources of which illegal construction has begun. In such a case, the penalty period is dependent on the speed of EPA’s own action. For this reason, the Permit Penalty Policy states that the_Agency may consider mitigation of the calculated civilpenalty a soü e ceases a re é i a1ile time after being notified of the violation and does not resume construction until a valid perrnit is issued. - - - 2. Post-Operation Remedies Civil actions under §l13(b 1 constitute the primary enforcement d ah1 äiñst sources t a ave a rea y commenced operation witTóiTh”óbtiining a PSD permit or in violation of a PS Lermit. Hóweve r, orders Issued pursuant to §167 are available to achieve immediate cessation of operation. They should only be used for operating sources which have failed to get a permit or are committing a violation so egregious that they must be shut down immediately (e.g., failure to install the control equipment or start-up prior to installation of control equipment or where operation causes an increment to be exceeded). Even in these instances, the action under §167 should be accompanied by a §113 action to collect penalties. When using §167, EPA should normally first issue an administrative order. The Agency should then file a civil action if a violating source does not immediately comply with the order. In cases where EPA has good reason to believe that the order would not be obeyed, however, we should file a civil action for injunctive relief immediately, without first issuing an order. We believe that a PSD source which is not known to be in violation can be granted up to iSO days after start-up in which to dem6n tratècompltance wtttl all appL able emission limitations . This provid oi5 ortuntty for the owner or operator to make necessary modifications or correct minor equipment defects that are not apparent prior to start-up. The expectation is that the ------- —7— source will be in compliance as soon as possible, and the decision as to how much time is necessary for fine tuning is to be made on a case by case basis. (The period of 180 days is analogous to the time allowed a source to demonstrate compliance after start- up under the New Source Performance Standard regulations, 40 C.F.R. §60.8.) During the 180-day period, a source should be required, to the extent practicable, to maintain and operate the source incltding the associated air pollution control equipment in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practice. B. Construction With an Invalid Permit EPA will also be able to utilize the provisions of §167 to prevent a source from constructing with a State-issued permit that EPA feels is invalid. There are basically two types of situations involving construction with an invalid permit. In the most common situation, the source can be expected to obtain a valid permit quickly. In other circumstances, however, it cannot be expected that a valid permit can issue soon. Before deciding on a course of action to be taken with a source constructing pursuant to an invalid permit, an EPA Regional Office needs to make a probability assessment as to the likelihood that a source will be able to obtain a valid permit quickly. For the purposes of allowing construction pursuant to an invalid permit, the period of thirty (30) days (the period analogous to that allowed under a Section 113(a) order) should be considered to be “quickly.” In the situation yhere EPA believes a valid permit will issue quickly, the procedures to be followed should be similar tothôse used under §1.i3(a)( ) to prevent the construction of ne eàur sI ônattainment areas. Sources should be issued an order, a ec n rec se e natu ct in the permit, an g yen days in which to o tam a valid permit while they proceed with cons ruct1 ti . Issuan of an immediate cease construction order, while available, usually would be an unnecessary sanction. A source that has obtained a PSD permit, even though invalid, has presumably undergone some preconstruction review. Moreover, si ce it is the State rather than the source itself, that is primarily at au , immediate sanctions might b inappro riate . In some situations, however, such as those where EPA believes that a source cannot be operated without violating an increment or where construction wiLl foreclose k’A’s option! _ 1n - s_ f what BACT_reguireme j [ appi! to a source, an immediate cease construction order under 167 should be ri ued and construction should not be allowed —commence or continue’ until a valid permit is issued. ------- -8- In cases against sources constructing pursJl.anrt to an invalid permit, the error is p? umed to hay b inTh e State’s. Therefór , even th u h construction may be halted, no pe rfatty is appropriate unless the source is somehow at fault or the ác urce does not - cooperate after the discovery of the violation. -For no-penalty actions, §167 is an effective enforcement tool. C. Consent Decrees In civil actions filed under both §167 and §113, against pre- operational as well as post-operational sources, a likely outcome of the actions will be consent decrees. Allowing a violating source to continue construction or commence operation under the provisions of a consent decree lies within the discretion of the court, though the court’s decision can be affected, of course, by the recommendation of EPA and the Department of Justice. The terms EPA should seek in actions under both §167 and §113 will vary according to the nature of the violation and the time that will be required to correct it. There are two types of situations in which consent decrees - would be appropriate. The first occurs when the source’s viola- tion causes or contributes to levels of pollution that exceed those allowed under §163 of the Act (which establishes the PSD increments). The other situation arises when the source’s vio- lation does not cause or contribute to increased levels of pollution beyond those allowed by §163. Wh n _ the pollution increments established by §163 would be or are being exceeded , EPA should immediately seek injunctive relief tóprevent the source from starting up or continuing in violation of its emission limitations. EPA should determine the nature of the violation and the amount of time that will be needed to correct it. A source should not be permitted to commence or continue operation until it is in compliance through enforceable em [ ssion_limitatloñs. To allow commeiicëment or continuation of operation out of compliance would defeat the intent of the Act by sanctioning levels of pollution in the PSD area greater than those established by Congress as the maximum allowable limits. If the source is exceeding or will exceed its own emission limitation but the increment set forth in §163 is not being or will not be exceeded, EPA has more flexibility in devising a consent decree. While it need not adhere to a strict rule of no start-up until a source is in compliance, the Agency still must take all necessary action to ensure that corrections are made as quickly as possible and must not allow a source to commence operation unless start-up is pursuant to a consent decree. ------- -9- The actual terms of a consent decree will vary from case to case. The only provisions that must be contained in every decree are a schedule that requires compliance as expeditiously as practicable, monitoring and reporting procedures, and a stipulated contempt fine provision. These fines should be established a a level sufficiently high to ensure compliance with the terms of the decree. (More detailed guidance on provisions to be included in consent decrees is contained in the October 19, 1983 memorandum from Courtney Price, GM-16.) III. Additional Enforcement Remedies A. Criminal Penalties Under 113(c ) Section 113(c) is available, where appropriate, against all types of PSD violations, both pre- and post-operation. Section 113(c) authorizes the Administrator to commence a criminal action to seek monetary penalties and/or imprisonment for knowing violations of applicable regulations and EPA orders. The key requirement is that the Administrator must be able to demonstrate that the violation was “knowing.” A distinction should be drawn between a source that refuses to comply with applicable requirements and one that merely has failed to comply. Refusal to meet any increments of progress of the final compliance date of an administrative order or to meet consent decree or permit requirements should be considered for criminal referral to D0J. If the source merely is late in com- plying, however, criminal penalties would not generally be appropriate. Additionally, it is our belief that resort to criminal penalties does not preclude the initiation of concurrent or subsequent civil proceedings for monetary penalties and/or injunctive relief. Questions concerning the possibility of criminal action should be referred to Peter Beeson, Associate Enforcement Counsel for Criminal Enforcement (FTS 382-4543). B. Noncompliance Penalties Under §120 By the terms of §120, noncompliance penalties can be assessed whenever a source is in violation of an emission limi- tation, emission standard, or compliance schedule under an applicable SIP. These penalties are based upon the economic benefit the source has derived from noncompliance. Section 120 penalties can be assessed regardless of whether civil and/or criminal sanctions available under §113 are also sought. More discussion of the use of noncompliance penalties appears in regulations published July 28, 1980 (45 FR 50086). If you have a question about this guidance, please call Judy Katz of the Air Enforcement Division (382-2843) if it is a legal question or Rich Biondi of the Stationary Source Compliance Division (382-2831) if it is a technical question. ------- APPENDIX I Penalty Policy for Violations of Certain Clean Air Act Permit Requirements for the Construction and/or Modification of Major Stationary Sources of Air Pollution I. Introduction EPA’s existing Civil Penalty Policy, dated July 8, 1980, applies inter alia , to stationary sources of air pollution which violate requirements enforceable under Section 113 of the Clean Air Act when such violations are the result of a failure to make capital expenditures and/or failure to employ operation and maintenance procedures which are necssary to achieve initial compliance. The Civil Penalty Policy does not, however, speci- fically address violations of_permit requirements_related to the construction or th3 itication at ma ó stAt ion ãry soü±ces under - the preve Ei Of significant deterioration (PSD) program and the nonattálnment area new source review program (including the Offset In f tatrve Kuhn iñdSe tion 173) . This document outlines a penalty policy which applies to certain permit-related violations of the Clean Air Act and is intended to establish a method of calculating a minimum settle- ment amount for such violations. The “Permit Penalty Policy” does not replace or limit the present Civil Penalty Policy in any way, but has been developed to deal with a subject area not covered by the existing policy. As illustrated by the following examples, the failure of a source to satisfy a new source requir- ement may result in one violation subject to this Permit Penalty Policy, and a second violation subject to the Civil Penalty Policy. It is important to note that this Permit Penalty Policy is intended to provide guidance on determining a minumum civil penalty settlement figure, as opposed to penalty requests in complaints. As a general rule, civil complaints alleging Clean Air Act violations, including permit-related violations, should always request the statutory maximum penalty of $25,000 per day of violation. In addition, the policy is not intended to suggest that civil penalties are the only, or even the primary, remedy where a source is in violation of Clean Air Act requirements. In such cases, a claim for civil penalties is an adjunct to seeking appropriate injunctive relief. A claim for costs should also be considered. It is also important to note that the policy outlined in this document, like the Civil Penalty Policy, is used to set a minimum settlement figure. Therefore, the penalty actually negotiated for can always be higher than the figure derived through use of this Permit Penalty Policy. ------- -2- II. The Permit Penalty Policy The Permit Penalty Policy covers cases involving sources which begin construction or operation without first obtaining the required PSD permit, as well as those which construct or operate in violation of such valid permits. Construction pro- ceeding in compliance with an invalid permit is considered to be, in the context of this penalty policy, construction without a permit. A primary motivation behind the Permit Penalty Policy has been the recognition that economic savings can be difficult to quantify when the violation involves permit requirements. The Permit Penalty Policy has been designed to provide a method for determining a penalty amount which will be sufficient to deter illegal construction or other permit violations, and yet not be so high as to be unreasonable or unrealistic. The policy is built around use of a matrix for calculation of the minimum settlement amount. Construction in the absence of a permit or in violation of a permit has been assigned a scale of dollar values. The matrix also provides for the assessment of an additional penalty for certain specified violations of substantive permit pre-conditions or requirements. The appropriate dollar value for a violation is dependent on an estimate of the t al d ófarr o1lution control at tl3ose facilities of the source for which the permit is requirecl) / 1r is value is then mulflpfled b3IEFiëThurnber of môiith Of vtolatThn.h / When there are multiple t-re1atèdVto1ati ns, a penalty !igure is calculated for each violation and the individual penalty figures are added together to produce one minimum settlement figure. In those cases where a source subject to a valid permit violates only the require- ments of Section 173(1) and/or Section 173(3) (requirements for 1/ “Total cost of air pollution control” should include, where relevant, pollution control equipment costs, design costs, operation and maintenance costs, differential cost of complying fuel v. noncomplying fuel, and other costs pertaining to adequate control of the new source. Total cost is to be determined by examination of what would have been required as BACT (for a PSD violation) or LAER (in the case of an Offset Policy or Part D violation). When construction is done in phases, the operative amount is the total cost of air pqllution controls for the entire project. 2/ Month-by-month accrual of penalties was selected for purposes f convenience and for consistency with the Civil Penalty Policy. Any fraction of a month in violation is counted as a full month of violation unless circumstances present a case for mitigation of this rule. ------- -3- construction permits in nonattainment areas) or the corresponding requirements under the Offset Policy, the appropriate penalty amount is determined by reference only to the matrix column(s) citing the violation(s). The sum produced through use of the matrix represents the minimum amount for which a case normally can be settled. However, it is recognized that equitable considerations, includ g but not limited to recalcitrance, degree of environmental harm’ I and likelihood of success should the case be filed, may make an increase or decrease in the matrix figure appropriate. Similarly, a source owner who agrees to make approved expenditures for pollution control above and beyond expenditures made to comply with all existing legal requirements may reduce the amount of the penalty owed. Any such additional expenditures designed as credits to satisfy or offset civil penalties will be evaluated in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Penalty Policy. Regional Offices wishing to modify the figure indicated by the matrix in consideration of the total equities presented by a case or to reduce the penalty because of a credit should do so in accordance with the procedures discussed in Section III of this Policy. It is recognized that there may also be cases where the economic value of a violation covered by this policy is reasonably quantifiable. Where the quantifiable economic savings figure exceeds the penalty amount established by the attached matrix, the Regional Office should negotiate for the higher calculated econcomic savings figure rather than the matrix figure. The period of civil penalty liability will, of course, depend upon the nature and circumstances of the violation. For example, if a source has begun actual construction without a required permit or under an invalid permit, the penalty period begins on the date the source began construction and continues either until the source obtains a valid permit or notifies the State or EPA that it has perm4nently ceased construction and the projects has been abandoned. 4 / A temporary cessation in construction does not 3/ E.g., significant consumption of a PSD increment by a source that has not received a permit, violation of a Class I increment or serious aggravation of a nonattainment problem. 4/ The period of liability is not to be confused with the period of continuing violation for Section 113 notice of violation (NOV) purposes. A source which constructs without a valid permit is in continuing violation of the Clean Air Act for NOV purposes until it receives a valid permit or it dismantles the new construction. ------- -4- toll the running of the penalty period. The Agency may, however, consider mitigation of the calculated civil penalty if a source ceases construction within a reasonable time after being notified of the violation and does not resume construction until a valid permit is issued. If a source violates a permit condition, the period of penalty liability for purposes of calculating a settle- ment figure begins on the first date the violation can be docu- mented and will cease when the violation is corrected. III. Procedure Authori y to approve minimum settlement figures calculated for cases covered by this P mit—Pena1ty Policy rests TEff the As i r fAaininLitrator forEnf ëment and Compliance_Monitoring. (Delegation 7-22-C) - in Viã tt e, called upon the Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air to review settlement figures. Therefore, an indication of the minimum settlement figure, including an explanation of the derivation of €H fig áIñédfiJom the matrix and any modification of that figure based upon subjective factors, should either be included in the litigation report_covering ehefa 1lttyö hou1d be forwarded by methdrindum to the Associate Enforcement Counsel for Afx If a case involves violations that are within the existing Civil Penalty Policy’s coverage, as well as a permit-related violation, the Permit Penalty Policy should be used to find the minimum settlement figure for the permit violation(s) and the Civil Penalty Policy should be used to establish a penalty amount for the other violation(s). These two figures should be added together to produce an appropriate overall settlement amount. ------- PERMIT PENALTY POLICY MATRIX MINIMUM SETTLEMENT PENALTIES (per month of violation) PSD SOURCES TOTAL COST OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL FOR NEW OR MODIFIED SOURCE ($ THOUSANDS) CONSTRUCTION OR OPERATION WITHOUT A PERMIT OR IN VIOLATION OF A VALID PERMIT INCREMENT EXC EEDED less than 50 50-150 150-500 500-1, 500 1,500-5,000 5,000-15,000 15,000-50,000 over 50,000 $ 2,000 4,000 7,000 11,000 16,000 22,000 29,000 37,000 $ 7,000 11,000 16,000 22,000 29,000 37,000 46,000 56,000 PART D OR OFFSET INTERPRETATIVE RULING SOURCES TOTAL COST OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL FOR NEW OR MODIFIED SOURCE ($ THOUSANDS) CONSTRUCTION OR OPERATION WITHOUT A PERMIT OR IN VIOLATION OF A VALID PERMIT FAILURE TO SATISFY §173(1) OR OBTAIN OFFSETS VIOLATION OF SECTION 173(3) OR CONDITION 2 less than 50 50-150 150-500 500-1,500 1,500-5000 5000-15,000 15,000-50,000 over 50,000 $ 2,000 5,000 9,000 14,000 20,000 27,000 35,000 44,000 $ 9,000 14,000 20,000 27,000 35,000 44,000 54,000 65,000 $ 5,000 9,000 14,000 20,000 27,000 35,000 44,000 54,000 ( Add numbers when multiple categories apply ) ------- EXAMPLE CASES The following hypothetical cases illustrate how the matrix is used to continue to calculate a minimum settlement figue. PSD Source On July 1, 1980, an existing major source began actual construction of a modification to its plywood manufacturing plant. The modification will result in a significant net emission increase of particulate mater. The source had not obtained or filed for a PSD permit as of the date actual construction began. On July 2, 1980, EPA investigators discovered the construction during a routine inspection of the plywood plant. The EPA Regional Office determined that the modification was subject to PSD review and issued a Notice of Violation on August 1, 1980. The NOV cited the PSD regulations and outlined possible enforcement alternatives. The source received the NOV on August 5, 1980, and contacted the Regional Office on August 10, 1980. On August 30, 1980, the Region and the source held a conference at which the source stated that it had not been aware of the need for PSD review and permitting prior to construction. The source also stated that it would file an application for review but that it would not cease construction during the review process. On October 1, 1980, the source filed a PSD application. During the review process the Region discovered that the source had no plans to install pollution control devices. The Region also determined that without BACT, the modification’s particulate emissions would result in an exceedance of the particulate matter increment in the source’s area of impact. The source, when informed of the BACT problem, indicated it would install the necessary controls. However, throughout the review process the source continued construction of the modification. On December 1, 1980, the source began operation of the modified source without the required permit and without controls. On January 15, 1981, the source was issued a PSD permit. On February 28, 1981, the source ceased operation of the plywood plant to install the pollution control equipment called for in the PSD permit. The source resumed operation on March 15, 1981, in a manner consistent with the PSD permit conditions. ------- -2- The penalty calculation for this example begins with an assessment of the total cost of air pollution control equipment at the modification. For purposes of this example, assume BACT costs $140,000. Next, the type and number of matrix categories must be determined. In this example the source (1) began actual con- struction without a permit, (2) operated the plant without a PSD permit and (3) exceeded the growth increment for particulate matter. Therefore, this source is subject to both of the columns of dollar values under the heading “PSD Sources.” In addition to the permit violations described above, commencement of operation prior to the installation of BACT constitutes a separate violation subject to the Civil Penalty Policy. (The Civil Penalty Policy should be used to determine an additional appropriate minimum settlement amount for the period of time the source operated without BACT.) Once the type, number and dollar values of the penalty are determined, these figures are multiplied by the number of montha in violation. The sums are then added together to produce the matrix penalty amount. In this example, the source’s period of construction without a permit runs from July 1, 1980, until the valid permit was issued in January of 1981 (7 months). The period of operation at variance with the BACT permit condition runs from the time the permit was issued in January 1981, to the date the source ceased operation on February 28, 1981 (2 months). The source also exceeded the area growth increment for particulate matter during the period of operation from December 1, 1980, to February 28, 1981 (3 months).1/ 1/ It is important to note that some of the considerations etailed in the matrix do not necessarily track the statutory provisions regarding violations. For example, there is no Clean Air Act provision which makes increment exceedance, in and of itself, a violation by an individual source. (The SIP must protect the increment. The method used is PSD review with permit conditions such as BACT, fuel use limitations, etc.) However, as a consideration of environmental harm, and in considering the seriousness of the violation if a source operates and thereby violates a State’s increment due to failure to go through PSD review as or when required, an added penalty is appropriate. ------- -3- The matrix penalty figure for this source’s PSD related violations, based on a $140,000 total cost of control estimate, is: - for the 7 month period of construction without a permit,— 7 x $4,000 — $28,000 - - for the 2 month period of operation without a permit, 2 x $4,000 = $8,000 - for the 3 month period of operation during which the - increment was exceeded, 3 x $11,000 — $33,000 - matrix penalty figure — $28,000 + $8,000 + $33,000 — $69,000 As noted in this policy, this figure represents a minimum settlement figure. EPA may, at any time, negotiate for a higher settlement figure. A lower minimum settlement figure may also be available depending on the circumstances of the particular case. See the policy for procedures regarding possible reductions. In addition to the permit violations described above, commencement of operation prior to the installation of BACT constitutes a separate violation subject to the Civil Penalty Policy. (The Civil Penalty Policy should be used to determine an additional appropriate minimum settlement amount for the period of time the source operated without BACT). Section 173 or Offset Policy Sources On December 1, 1980, a plywood manufacturing company began operation of a modification at its plant which is located in a nonattainment area for particu1a e matter. The modification is subject to Section 173 review permitting and, in fact, the source has obtained a valid Section 173 permit from the State. The permit specifies 1) that the applicant has demonstrated that all other major stationary sources owned or operated by the applicant in the State are in compliance with the Act, 2) what constitutes required LAER, and 3) what offsets (internal) would be required to be obtained prior to start-up or commencement of operation. ------- -4- In March of 1981, the Regional Office learned that the source did not install controls on a certain ?iece of process equipment and therefore did not actually “obti’ the offsets as specified in the State permit. On April 1, 1981, the Region issued an NOV for failure to comply with the terms of the permit by not obtaining offsets prior to start-up. At an April 15, 1981, conference between EPA and the source, the source agreed to meet the terms of its permit and to certify compliance. On May 15, 1981, the offsets were finally obtained. In this example, the violation covered by the matrix is the source’s failure to obtain the required offsets (because the source had obtained the requisite permit and its only violation of the permit consisted of a failure to obtain the offsets by start-up). The failure to obtain offsets, however, is covered by both the Permit Penalty Policy (for the failure of the new source to obtain offsets prior to start-up) and the Civil Penalty Policy (for the failure of the existing source to comply with the offset requirement). The calculation of the minimum settlement figure in this - case under the Permit Penalty Policy begins with an assessment of the total cost of air pollution control equipment at the modification. For purposes of this example, assume LAER costs $110,000. Since the source operated from start-up on December 1, 1980, until May 15, 1981, without the necessary offsets, the period of violation was six months. Under these circumstances the matrix yields a penalty figure of $84,000. (6 x $14,000 84,OO0). As in the PSD example above, this matrix figure is a minimum settlement number. EPA is free to negotiate for a higher amount. There is also the opportunity for a reduction of this figure based upon the surrounding circumstances in accordance with the procedures outlined in the policy. The calculation of a minimum settlement figure under the Civil Penalty Policy is dependent upon the economic benefit to the source of delaying the capital costs necessary to satisfy the offset requirement for a period of six months, and upon the other factors set out in the policy. Because the offsets were obtained from a facility owned by the new source, a total minimum civil penalty settlement figure is calculated by adding the amounts obtained under the Permit Penalty Policy and the Civil Penalty Policy. (If the offsets were obtained from a facility not owned by the new source, once the offset is established and made part of the SIP, the existing source is subject to the amount calcu- lated under the Civil Penalty Policy added to the amount calcu- lated under the Permit Penalty Policy). ------- •. APPENDIX 11 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ‘ / WASHINGTON. D.C. 20460 DEC 1 8 1978 OFFICC OF ENFORCEMENT ME r IORANDU 4 SUBJECT: Int.erpretation of *ConstructedN as it Applies to Activities Undertaken Prior to Issuance of a PSD Permit FRO’l: Director Division of Stationary Source Enforcement TO: Enforcement Division Directors Regions I—X Air and Razardous Materials Division Directors Regions I—X The issue addressed in this memorandum is where on the continuum from planning to operation of a major emitting facility does a coi pany or other entity violate the PSD regulations if it has not yet received a PSD permit. (It is assui ed here that such a permit is required by the PSD regulations.) This question has arisen several times in particular cases and general guidance now appears necessary. The statute and regulations do not answer this question. The Clean Air Act states simply that, (n]o majo’ emitting facility... may be constructed... unless—(l) a permit has been issued... (and various other conditions have been. satisfied). Section 165(a). Similarly, the PSD regulations state that, U( ] 0 major stationary source or major modification shall be constructed unless the (various PSD re uire. ents are met).u 40 CFR 52.21(i) (1), 43 FR 26406. uConstruction is defined in the regulations as fabrication, erection, installation, or modification of a source. 40 CFR 52.21(b) (7), 43 FR 26404. This accords with Section 169(2) (C) of the Act, but it does not explicitly answer the question posed ab3ve. To our knowledge, the legislative history of the Act does not treat this issue. Thus the ter n ‘constructed seems to be open to further interpretation by EPA. ------- —2— Cor iencement of construction is quite specifically defines in both Section 169(2) (A) of the Cleafl Air Act and 40 CFR 52.21(b) (8) , 43 FR 26404. }fot,ever, that definition is for the purpose of deciding the threshold question of the applicability of the PSO re u1ations , Therefore, we are not bound by it in deciding what activities may be conducted prior to receiving a necessary PSD permit. DSSE’s response to date has been that the permitting authority should nake the deteri ination on a case—by—case basis, after considering all the facts of the individual situation. For example, we said that site clearing might be inappropriate for a source proposed to be constructed in a heavily forested Class I area, but permissible for a source proposed to be constructed on a junk—strewn lot in a heavily industrialized Class III area. After consulting with the Office of General Counsel, we are now ai ending this policy in order to miniwize the administrative burden on the permitting authority and to adopt what we believe now to be the better legal interpreta- tion. The new policy is that certain limited activities will be allowed in all cases, These allowable activities are planning, ordering of equipment and materials, site—clearing, grading, and on—site storage of equipment and materials, ny activities undertaken prior to issuance of a P30 permit would, of course, be solely at the owner’s or operator’s risk. That is, even if considerable expense were incurred in site—clearing and purchasing equipt ent, for example, there would be no guarantee that a PSD permit would be forthcoming. All on—site_activities of a permanent nature aimed at completing a PSD SourcefTór hichap jltThii yet to bé tained are prohibited uiidetaU cTrcun stances.The é— roh i ited activities include installation of--building supports and foundations, paving, laying of underground pipe work, construction of permanent storage structures, and activities of a similar nature. T e new policy has several advantages. First, it will be easy to administer, since case—by—case determinations will not be required. Horeover, it assures national consis- tency and permits no abuse of discretion. Finally, it appears to be the most legally correct position. The policy has the undeniable disadvantage of allowing a good deal of ------- —3— activity at. sites which nay be highly susceptible to envi— ronmental impact. ‘ie feel that on balance, however, the advantages of the policy outweigh the disadvantage. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact David Rochlin of my staff, at 755—2542. Edward E. Reich cc: Peter Wyckoff, OGC Richard Rhoad.s, OAQPS Linda Murphy, Region I Ken Eng, Region II 3in Sydnor, Region III Winston Smith, Region IV Steve Rothblatt, Region V Don Harvey, Region VI Bob Chanslor, Region VII Dave Joseph, Region VIII Bill Wick, Region IX ‘1ike Johnston, Region X ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ?R 28 l9 Z Federal Enforceability under PSD FflOt h }Zathleen i. &enne / A sjstant Administrator for A4tz ’/uoise and Radiation Directors, Air & Waste t anagernent rivisions Regions I—1V, VI—Vii , X Directors. Air Management D1Vj5j 5 Regions V and IX This. exuorand i8 prompted by a request for clarification of the status cf the require e that to be cocnizable under P D fot offset and applicability purposes, e iis8jofl lin1t&tj 0 z st be federally enforceable. On August 7, 19R0 , EPA published anendnents to the P5) and 2on—attaj ent regujatjor 5 which included a provision that mjssjon limitations 1nust be federally enforceable in order to be taken into account for offsets or applicability purposes. The aliendinents went on to define federally enforceable as: all limitations and conditjo 5 which are enforcea e by the Adr iinictrator, including those requireme developed pursuant to 40 CFR parts 60 and 61, requirements within any applicable State Irrtplementatjon Plan, and any permit requirements established pursuant to 40 FR 52.21 or under regulations approved purcuant to 40 crr 51.1c and 40 CFR 51.24. (40 c 52.21(b) (17)) Under a petition for reconsideration of the Aucu t 7 rules, which was submitted by several parties, this concept of fedcraliy enforceable limitations was challenged, The petitioners maintained that the requireLten of federally enforceable limitations was unnecessary. ________ COP4CVRRENCES t : :::::: ::: : : ,. _ ki 2’ I-f/t(fO) 4,/p ------- T e ?cency decided to reconsider the re uire ent of fedcrally cr.forccable eitissiOfl limitations. In a& ition to reconsidering the issue, EPA temporarily stayed the federally enforceable recuire c-ntS (see Fcdcral T cc ister July 15, 19E1). The stay xFirCd on Cctobór , 1 E1 ar.c thc ?.dministrator declined tension of the stay, thus once again requiring federally ..nforceablc crissiOfl lirritations. At the present time, the amendments, as pub1ish d on August 7, 19CC , are in effect and binding. The definition of - federally €nforceablc still, stands: emission limitations must be federally cnforceable in order to he taken into account for offsets or PSD applicability. As to the definitien of federally enforceable, the 7 gcncy continues to maintain the position that operating permits not incorporated into a SIP under an approved general bubble rule are not federafly enforceable. During the past six months the gency has been in the process of negotiating a settlement of the industry challenges to the August 7, 19CC amendn ents, including the issue of Federal enforceability. The Agency has offered a settlement proposal, s’hich has been accepted by the industry petitioners, that would change the federally enforceable concept. EPA has agreed to propose accepting emission limitations as creditable to the extent that they are enforceable by either Federal, State or local jurisdictions. The word ‘federally’ would be dropped from the term ‘federally enforceable’ as usE d in the regulations. At the same time the term ‘enforceable’ viii be defined as ‘enforceable nder Federal, State, or local law and discoverable by the dministratOr and any other person.’ This change will most likely have the result of making operating permits acceptable for offsets and applicability. Changes in Federal enforceability, as well as other changes that result from the settlement agreement, must go through general rulemaking procedures. Rulemaking procedure will follow the outline in the February 22, 1982 settlement agreement. Tt e rulemaking ay also include some type of grandfatheriflg provisions for the period of the temporary stay. The grandfathering provisions may focus on the cai mencement of construction during the period of the stay. Please note that until the rulemaking processes are completed the existing rules are still in effect. If any specific problems concerning Federal enforceability and applicability arise, questions should be referred to Ed Reich at 3S2—2807. ------- c i® SECTION G DOCUMENT 2 Procedures for EPA to Address Deficient New Source Permits Under the Clean Air Act 07/15/88 2 ------- j UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY _____ WASHINGTON D.C. 20460 JLL15 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Procedures for EPA to Address Deficient New Source Pernits Under the Clean Air Act FROM: Mi: ael S. Alushin Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Oft ice of Enforcement and ompliance Monitoring Joh S. Seitz, Stationary Source Compliance Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Addressees INTRODUCTION This memorandum transmits the final guidance for your use in addressing deficient new source permits. After we distributed the draft guidance for coram n’t on December 16, 1987, several Reg on-. i Offices €ook áctio n on deficient new source permits. The events surr’ unding those permit actions, as well-as your thoLgh ul comments on the draft guidance, have shaped the final policy.• RES: QNSE TO COMMENTS ’ - - We have inco poraeed most of your comments into the final guidance e you requested, we have included examples of forms showing’a request for- permit review under 40 C.F.R. Sl24.19, a S167 order, and a StL3(a)(5) finding of violation. ------- —2— Some commenters suggested that we include a section on actions that- can be taken, not against the source, but against the state issuing the deficient permit. We agree that this topic Should be ncluded in the guidance because it surfaces repeatedly in individual cases. Therefore, we have added a section on possible actions against states for issuing deficient permits. We have also clarified the guidance to indicate that EPA should send a state written comments at both the draft and final permit stage when a state is issuing what EPA considers a deficient permit. Some reviewers requested further elaboration of when to use alternative enforcement responses. We have indicated relevant considerations in determining which action to take. One commenter pointed out that the guidance did not defiie what was meant by a “deficient permit.” This involves a determination that requires the exercise of judgment. However, we have tried to list most of the criteria that will support a finding of deficiency. We realize, however, that we may not have anticipated every deficiency that may present itself to every Regional Office in the future. Concern was expressed over the requirement to respond to a deficient permit within thirty days. We realize that this is an ambitious objective, but it is a legal requirement for permit review under 40 C.F.R 5124, and greatly enhances EPA’S equitable. position in challenges under 5167 and Sl13(a)(5). It will be easier to meet this deadline if Regional Offices have routine procedures in place for prompt receipt of all permits from their states and for thorough review of permits as they are received. A few commenters wanted the guidance expanded to apply to “netting” actions and “synthetic minor” sources. We agree that guidance in this area would be useful, but the topic is too broad to be folded into the same document as the guidance on deficient permits. We have begun work to address appropriate enforcement action for improper “synthetic minors” in the context of the Federal Register notice announcing the program for federally enforceable state operating permits. If you think that separate enforcement guidance is needed on this subject, please let us know. Finally, a few reviewers questioned the guidance regarding EPA directly iesued permits. We agree that, in all cases where we find a deficiency, it is preferable to change the permit by modifying its terms. If the source is amenable, we should do so. However, if EPA cannot get the source to accept new permit condi- tions, our only options are review under 5124.19(b), revocation of the permit, and/or enforcement action. A S124.19(b) review must be taken within 30 days after the permit was issued. The ------- —3-. regulations-are unclear on EPA’s authority to revoke permits. In an enforceient action to force a source, involuntarily, to accept a perait change when the source has not requested the change or made any Iodifjcation to its facility or operations, EPA must always keep in mind the litigation practicalitjes and equities. These make enforcing against a permit we have issued when we are not basing our action on any new information a difficult proposition. CONCLUSION We hope that this guidance will help EPA Regions act to challenge deficient new Source permits. Many of the practices advocated in this document may be litigated in pending or future cases. We will amend the guidance as necessary in light of judicial developments. If you have any qL estions, please contact attorney Judith Katz at FTS 382—2843. At tachmen Addressees: Regional Counsels Regions i-x Regional Counsel Air Branch Chiefs Regionx I-X Air and Waste Management Division Director Region it Air Management Division Directors Regions i, iii, and IX Air and Radiation Division Director Region V Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Directors Regions IV and VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions vu, VIII, and X PSD Contacts Regions r—x ------- —4— Alan Eckert Associate General Counsel Greg Poote, 0CC Gary MCCutchen NPPB, AQMD (MD—is) Ron McCallum Chief Judicial Officer EPA David Buente, Chief Environmental Enforcement Section DOJ ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WASHINGTON D.C. 20460 ii. I5 ME MO RAN D ( 3M SUBJECT: Procedures for EPA to Address Deficient New Source Permits Under the Clean Air Act FROM: Michael S. Alushin Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air Office of Enforcement and Compliance Monitoring John S. Seitz, Stationary Source Compliance D sion Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Addressees I. Introduction This guidance applies to permits issued for major new sources and major modifications under both the prevention of significant deterioration (PSD) program and the nonattainment new source review (NSR) program. it contains three sets of procedures —— one for permits issued pursuant to EPA—approved state programs (NSR permits and PSD permits in more than half the states) one for permits issued by states pursuant to dele- gations of authority from EPA, and one for instances where EPA issues the permit directly. An appendix of model forms appears at the end. The need for this guidance has become increasingly evident in the last two years. Before then, EPA had attempted only once, in 1981, to enforce against sources constructing or operating wiith new source permits the Agency determined to be deficient. In 1986, EPA litigated Greater Detroit Recovery Facility v. Adamkus et al . No. 86—CU—72910—DT (October 21, 1986). In that case, EPA wanted to enforce against a major stationary source constructing with a PSD permit issued by Michigan under a dele- gation agreement with EPA. The Agency had first determined that the best available control technology (BACT) determination for SO 2 in the permit was inadequate. Before EPA started formal enforcement action, the source filed suit against the Agency, ------- —2— arguing that.. EPA had no authority to “second guess” the BACT determination and that, in any event, we should be equitably foreclosed froi challenging the permit because we had remained silent during the two years since we had failed to comment on the permit. The. Court agreed and granted the source’s motion for summary judgment. The Detroit case was an example of the need for prompt and thorough EPA review of and written comments on new source permits. Our ability to influence the terms of a permit, both informally and through legal procedures, diminishes markedly the longer EPA waits after a permit is issued before objecting to a specific term. This is due both to legal constraints, that is, tight time limits for comments provided in the regulations, and to equitable considerations that make courts less likely to require new sources to accept more stringent permit conditions the farther planning and construction have progressed. Accordingly, as a prerequisLte to successful enforcement action, it is imperative that EPA review all major source permit packages on a timely basis and provide detailed comments on deficiencies. If EPA does not obtain adequate consideration of those comments, it is also important for EPA to protect air quality by prompt and consistent enforcement action against sources whose permits are found lacking. Because PSD permits are issued on a case—by—case basis, taking into consideration individual source factors, permitting decisions involve the exercise of judgment. However, although not an exhaustive list, any one of the following factors will normally be sufficient for EPA to find a permit “deficient” and consider enforcement action: 1. 3ACT determination not using the “top—down” approach. 2. BACT determination not based on a reasoned analysis. 3. No consideration of unregulated toxic pollutants in SACT determination. 4. Public notice problems — no public notice & comment period or deficiencies in the public notice. 5. Inad.guate air quality modeling demonstrations. 6. Inad.quate air quality analysis or impact analysis. 7. Unenforceable permit conditions. 8. For sources that impact Class I areas, inadequate notification of Federal. Land Manager or inadequate consideration of impacts on air quality related values of Class I areas. ------- —3— In NSR permitting, each of the following factors, while riot necessarily an exhaustive list, are grounds for a deficient permit: 1. Incorrect LAER determination, i.e., failure to be at least as stringent as the most stringent level achieved in practice or required under any SIP or federally enforceable permit. - 2. No finding of state—wide compliance. 3. No emissions offsets or incorrect offsets. 4. Public notice problems — no public notice and comment or deficiencies in public notice. 5. Unenforceable permit conditions. II. Timing of EPA Response A. Comment Although EPA should know about every permit, at least by the time it is published as a proposal, the Agency sometimes does not learn about a permit during its development prior to the time the final permit is issued. If we do become aware of the permit and have objections to any of its terms, we should comment during the developmental stage before the permit becomes final. State agencies should send copies of all draft permit public notice packages and all final permits to EPA immediately upon issuance. (The requirements for contents of public notice packages are set forth at 40 C.F.R. S5l.l66(q)(2)(iii).) The Regional Office should review all draft permit public notice packages and final permits during the 30 day comment periods provided for in the federal regulations. it should write detailed comments whenever Agency staff does not agree with the terms of a draft or final permit. To make sure they get permits in time for review, Regional Offices should consider requiring states with approved new source programs, through Section 105 Grant Conditions, to notify them of the receipt of all major new source permit applications. They should also require states to send them copies of their draft permits at the beginning of the public comment period. Final permits should be required to be sent to EPA immediately upon issuance. (Note that the requirement for Regions to review draft and final permits is contained in guidance issued by Craig Potter on December 1, 1987.) Regions should carefully check their agreements with delegated states. These agreements require ------- —4— states to send draft permits to EPA during the comment period. In addition, 40 C..P.R. S52.2l(u)(2)(ii) requires delegated agencies to send a copy of any public comment notice to the appropriate regional office. Pursuant to 40 C.F.R. S124.15, a final permit does notbecoae effective until 30 days after issuance, unless there are no comments received during the comment period, in which case it becomes effective immediately. Regions should make sure that delegated states know about permit appeal proceduresat 40 C.F.R. S124 and, if necessary, issue advisory memoranda notifying them that EPA will use these procedures if the Agency determines a permit is deficient. B. Formal Enforcement Action If the permit was issued under a delegated program, it is important to initiate formal review or appeal within 30 days after the final permit is issued. (This response is set forth in Section IV below. The 30 day period is required by the regula- tions at 40 C.F.R. 5124.19). When enforcing against permits issued under state programs, the same legal requiremer t to initiate enforcement within 30 days does not exist, but it is still extremely important to act expeditiously. III. Enforcement Against the Source v. Enforcement Against the State If a state has demonstrated a pattern of repeatedly issuing deficient permits, EPA may consider revoking the delegation for a delegated state or acting under Section 113(a)(2) of the Act to assume federal enforcement for an approved state. It is not appropriate to issue a 5167 order to a state. Revocations of delegated authority as to individual permits and revocations of actual permits are theoretically possible, but they are unneces- sary where EPA can act under Part 124 (i.e. within 30 days of issuance). Revocation may be appropriate where Part 124 appeals are unavailable, but likely will be subject to legal challenge. IV. Procedures tO Follow When Enforcing Against Deficient Permits in Delegated Programs A. If possible, the following actions before construction co ences: 1. Take action under 40 C.F.R. 5124.19(a) or (b) within 30 days of the date the final permit was issued to review deficient provisions of the permit. a. S124.19(a) is an appeal, which may be taken by any person who commented during the public comment period. ------- -.5— - b. S124.19(b) is a review of the terms of the permLt by the Administrator under his own initiative. Regional Offices informally request the Admini- strator to take this action. They need not have commented during the public comment period. The Administrator has demonstrated a preference for using S124.19(b) over S124.19(a). In the four instances thus far when he was given the choiee of acting under (a) or (b), he chose (b). However, the Administrator may not have sufficient time to act within 30 days in every situation in the future. 2. In the majority of situations, it is more appropriate for the Agency to act as one body to initiate review under 5124.19(b). In some instances, however, the third party role for a Regional Office, through 40 C.F.R. Sl24.19(a) may be preferable. Regions should pick (a) or (b). However, if both provisions are legally available, they should request, in the alternative, that the Administrator act under the provision other than the one chosen by the Region should he deem it more appropriate. In particular, if a Region requests the Administrator to act under 5124.19(b), it should ask that its memorandum be considered as a petition for review under Sl24.19(a) should review under S124.19(b) not be granted within 30 days. This is to protect the Regions’ right to appeal a permit if the Administrator does not have sufficient time to act. Therefore, all memoranda requesting review should be written to withstand public scrutiny if considered as petitions under Sl24.19(a). 3. If the 30 day period for appeal has run and strong equities in favor of enforcement exist, issue a S167 order ‘and be prepared to file a civil action to prohibit commencement of construction until the source secures a valid permit. (See Section IV B(2)) below. B. For eources where construction has already commenced: 1. If the permit was issued less than 30 days previously take action under 40 CPR S124.19. 2. If the permit was issued more than 30 days previously, issue a 5167 order requiring immediate cessation of construction until a valid permit is obtained. This ------- —6— - step should only be taken if extremely strong equities in favor of enforcement exist. Regions should be keeping 8tate and source informed of all informal efforts to change permit terms before the S167 order is issued. S167 orders may be used both for sources - which have and have not commenced construction. However, because the Sl24.19 administrative appeal and review process is available in delegated programs, it is greatly preferred for challenging deficient permits in states where it can be used. 3. If EPA determines that penalties are appropriate, issue a NOV under Section l13(a)(l) of the Act for commencement of construction of a major source or major modification without a valid permit. This is necessary because S].67 contains no penalty authority. Note that strong equities for enforcement must exist before taking this step. EPA can issue both a S167 order requiring immediate injunctive relief and a NOV if we decide that both are appropriate. 4. Follow Up with judicial action under S167 and S113(b)(2) if construction continues without a new permit. C. Note that the appeal provisions of 40 C.F.R. S124.19 - apply to all delegated PSD programs even if S124.19 is not specifically referenced in the delegation. V. Procedures to Follow When Enforcing Against Permits in EPA—Approved State Programs (All NSR and More Than Half of the PSD Programs ) A. Issue 5l13(a)(5) order (for NSR) or 167 order (for PSD) as expeditiously as possible, preferably within 30 days after the permit is issued, requiring the source not to commence construction, or if already started, to cease construction (on the basis that it would be constructing with an invalid permit), and to apply for a new permit. Note that EPA should issue a S167 order if it has determined that there is a reasonable chance the source will comply. Otherwise, the Region should move directly to section V.D below. 8. ?roa the outset of EPA’S involvement, keep the source informed of all EPA’S attempts to convince the permitting agency to change the permit. C. Issue an NOV (113(a)) as soon as construction commences if EPA determines penalties are appropriate. ------- —7— D. If source does not comply with order, follow up with judicial action under S167, S113(b)(5), or, if NOV issued, S113(b)(2). If penalties are appropriate, issue ov and later amend complaint to add a S113 count when 30 day statutory waiting period has run - after initial action is filed under S167. v i. For EPA—issued Permits (Non—delegated ) A. If source submitted inadequate information (e.g., misleading, not identifying all options) and EPA recently found out about it, 1. If within 30 days of permit issuance, request review by the Administrator under 40 C.F.R. S124. 19(b). 2. If permit has been issued for more than 30 days, issue S167 or Sl13(a)(5) order preventing start- up or, if appropriate, immediate cessation of construction. 3. Issue NOV if construction has commenced and EPA determines penalties to be appropriate. 4. If necessary, request additional information from source; if source cooperates, issue new permit. 5. Consider taking judicial action if appropriate. EPA recognizes the distinction between permits based on faulty and correct information only for EPA directly—issued permits. This distinction is necessary for EPA permits due to ecuitable considerations. B. If source submitted adequate information and EPA issued faulty permit, we should attempt to get source to agree to necessary changes and accept modification of its permit. However, if source will not agree, only available options are revoking the permit and enforcing. Consolidated permit regulations are unclear about EPA’S authority to revoke PSD permits. Because of this and the equitable problems associated with enforcing against our own permits, unless new information about health effects or other significant findings is available, we may choose to accept the permit. If faulty permit produces unacceptable environmental risk, act under 40 C.P.R. S124.19, i.f possible. If action under 40 C.F.R. S124.l9 not possible, first revoke permit and then act as set forth in Section IV. ------- —8— Addressees: - Regional Counsels Regions I—X Regional Counsel Air Contacts Regions I—X Air arid Waste Management Division Director Region II Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III, and IX Air and Radiation Division Director Region V Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division Directors Regions Iv and VI Air and Toxics Division Directors Regions VII, VIII, and X PSD Contacts Regions I—X Alan Eckert Associate General Counsel Greg Foote, OGC Gary McCutchen NPPB, AQMD (MD—15) Ron McCallum Chief Judicial Officer Bob Van Heuvelen Environmental Enforcement Section Department of Justice David Buente, Chief Environaental Enforcement Section Department of Justice ------- Appendix 1. Request for Review under 40 C.F..R.S124.19 2. 5167 Order 3. S113(a ( ) finding of violation and accompanying S113(a)(1) Notice of violation ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY • j REGION II DATE: W W • £ I I Request for Administrator to initiate Review of - SUS CT PSD Permit for Cam en County Resource Recovery Facility. FROM: Region a Ad Le 7 - TO: Lee 14. Thomas Ad m in Is t rat or I am requesting that, pursuant to 40 C.F.R. 124.19, you review the PST) portion of the air pollution permit issued to Camden County Energy Recovery Associates for construction of the Camden County Resource Recovery Facility in Camden, New Jersey (CCRRF). The failure of the New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to include an emission limit for PM 10 in the permit, to address BACT adequately for PM 10 and to provide for public comment on PM 10 as a PSD affected pollutant are grounds for reviewing the DEP’s actions in issuing the permit and for staying the effect ,tve — ness of the permit until all PSD requirements have been met. As explained below, if you agree that review of this permit is appropriate, you will have to notify the permittee by January 11, 1988, that you are initiating review of the PSD portion of the permit. This permit was issued under various authorities including EPA’s PS ) permit authority, 40 C.F.R. 52.21, which is dele- gated to DEPS Due to the promulgation of the new NAAOS for PM 10 on July 1, 1987, the emissions of particulate matter from the CCRRF became subject to the PSD rules. Particulate matter was not previously subject to PSD because the area was classified as nonattainment for the now withdrawn NAAOS for total suspended particulate (TSP). My staff has concluded that the permit and the permit review procedures do not adequately address PM 10 under the applicable PSD regulations. DEP was aware several months before it issued the permit that the new PM 10 NAAQS for particulate matter would require PSD review. Nevertheless, the permit does not include an emission limitation for particulate matter expressed as PM 10 emissions ir the facility. Also, the analysis of the control technology fails to demonstrate that the system selected would provide the best degree of emission control currently available for PM 10 particulates. Finally, there is a procedural problem with the permit as well. DEP did not provide notice and an opportunity for the public to comment on the PM 10 aspect of the permit, contrary to the regulatory requirements and the express advice of Region II. PM 1320-1 ------- —2— The Delegation of PSD Authority to DEP EPA Region II delegated PSD new source review authority to DEP pursu&nt to 40 C.PIR. 52 .21(u). The PSD permitting authority delegated to the DEP is not restricted in any way. The delegation is general in nature and includes all PSD requirements as they are from time to time revised by rulemaking. Applicability of PMi Requirements to CCRRF Permit The application for the CCRRF air pollution control permit was submitted on April 30, 1986. The DEP required the application to be augmented until the application was considered complete and the DEP noticed the permits for public comment on April 28, 1987. A publi’ hearing was held on May 28, 1987, in Camden, New Jersey, and the public comment period ended on June 12, 1987. PSD requirements are applicable to this permit for particulate matter because it is not in the class of permits and permit applications that are covered by the grandfatherjng exemptions. of the PM 10 promulgation. No PSD application addressing partic- ulate matter was submitted for the CCRRP before July 31, 1987T. At the time of the notice period, the facility was required to undergo preconstruction review under the SIP for TSP because the area was nonattainment (secondary) for TSP but Federal and State permits were not issued until December 7, 1987. Only Sources with PSD applications for particulate matter or with all Federal and State preconstruct ion approvals or permits before July 31, 1987, are exempt from PSD review for PM 10 . See , 40 C.F.R 52.21(c)(4)(ix) and (x) (52 Fed . .f.Z.• 24714, July 1, 1987). We reminded the DEP, both orally and in writing, of the need to satisfy the PSD requirements at 40 C.F.R. 52.21 for sources of particulate matter as a result of the PM 10 pro-. mulgation. The DEP was informed that the CCRRF was not grandfathered and required additional PSD review to account for PM 10 . BAC’I’ Emission Limit Necessary for PMi The permit has no emission limitation for PM 10 . BAC’T is, by definition, an emissions limitation rather than merely specified types of equipment. 40 C.F.R. 52.2](b)(12). (The only exception is when there are technological or economic limitations on the application of measurement methodology.) Clearly the grand— fathering provisions were meant to limit the class of major new sources for which the particulate emission limit is expressed ------- —3— as TSP under the Clean Air Act. Without an express limit on PM 10 as a permit condition, we are concerned that there will be no sufficiently stringent, enforceable limit on particulate matter for this facility. Even if the difference between the actual rate of particulate matter emissions smaller than 10 microns in size occuring as - a result of the TSP limit now in the permit and the PM 10 limit that should be in the permit proves to be small or nonexistent, failing to correct this permit will leave a muddled and uncertain basis for future enforcement. EPA regulations clearly require that particulate matter emissions be addressed under the PSD regulations for this permit and that an emission limit be expressed in terms of PM 10 . Region 11 is concerned that a TSP emission limit in an instance where PM 10 was the PSD regulated pollutant may be unenforceable especially in light of EPA’s conclusion that the NAAQS which triggers PSD for particulate matter in the case of CCRRF’s permit is the new PM 10 NAAQS. See , 52 Fed. Reg. 24694. The State BACT Analysis The DEP’S Rearing Officer found that there is no predictable difference between a baghouse and an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) with respect to PM 10 collection efficiency and, there— f ore, concluded that the ESP determined adequate for TSP is also adequate as BACT for PM 10 . Region II considers the BACT analysis by which the DEP reached its conclusion to be unacceptably thin in its review of available data. The only analysis which appears to be available is in a report submitted by letter from the permittee dated November 16, 1987, responding to a November 2, 1987, request from DEP. Our review of the BACT analysis shows that it is incomplete and an inadequate basis for making necessary technical judgments. Some questions are so fundamental that we cannot make meaningful technical comments. For example: 1. What are the sources of the engineering and economic data? 2. Why is there no comparison of the particulate size and garbage characteristics at the cited facilities and what is anticipated at CCRRP? 3. What were the test methods employed in obtaining the emissions data from the cited failities? 4. Why were three United States facilities referenced but not considered in the analysis? I ------- —4— 5. Was the removal efficiency data based a system comparable to CCRRP’s which includes a dry scrubber before the electrostatic precipitator or baghouse? These are just some of the questions that we have and which we would normally review with a PSD permit applicant before public comments are solicited. itb the date of the submission being November 16, 1987, and the permit issuance date being December 7, 1987, we do not believe that any meaningful questioning of the permittee’s analysis was done by the DEP. The mere three weeks between the submission of the report and permit issuance did not allow the Region a meaningful opportunity to resolve EPA concerns. Public Comment on PMin PSD Review In early November. 1987, DEP informed Region II that it had completed the necessary PSO analysis for PM 10 but needed to issue the permit with little or no time for a. public comment period with respect to PM 10 because of an impending financing deadline. On the basis of DEP assurances that PM 10 bad been adequately addressed, Region II staff suggested to DEP staff that DEP might be able to justify a shortened public comment period, but emphasized that an opportunity for public comment to review the PM 10 analysis was necessary. (EPA’S OGC and OAQPS orally concurred with Region II ’s pos- ition.) DEP acknowledged the need for public comment and agreed to follow appropriate, but shortened, procedures. Region II received a copy of and began to review the permittee’s November 16, 1987, submission. pith no notice for public comment and no further notice to EPA, DEP issued the air permits to CCRRF along with SPDES and solid waste permits on December 7, 1987. Region II’s advice with respect to the comment period assumed adequate treatment of PM 10 under PSD requirements. Having subsequently reviewed the BACT analysis and the permit itself, we now believe that these do not meet the require nt$ of PSD and any reason to allow less than 30 days for public comment on the PM 10 analysis would be unjustified. Recommendation I am asking that you initiate review of the CCRRF permit with respect to compliance with PSD review procedures applicable to PM 10 . Specifically, the review should address. 1. The fail9re to include BAC’T expressed as a PM 10 emission limit in the permit. ------- —5— 2. The adequacy of the review of available technology in establishing BAC’r. 3. The failure to provide for public comment regarding the PM limitations. A Decanber 1, 1987, memorandum from Craig Potter, Assist&nt Administrator for Air and Radiation, calls for regional offices to monitor state compliance with preconstruction reviews to prevent instances such as this. We have done so in this case but were not consulted by the DEP when it decided to reject EPA’s direction and issue the permit. We expect that the DEP and the permittee will correct this action rather than go through the entire review process but the issuance of the permit leaves us with no choice but to seek to commence review to prevent the action taken by DEP from becoming final action. We are prepared to continue working with the DEP to act on the permit expeditiously should the DEP and the permittee agree to remedy the deficiencies discussed above. We have also explained to the DEP that, if appropriate, Region II could request a stay of EPA’s permit review proceedings in the interim. In this regard, the DEP has contacted Region It and is exploring ways to take valid legal action on their own which would eliminate the need for you to act on this request for review b January ii. If the DEP should take such action, we will notify you immediat - I request that you alert me before you issue an order under S124. 19(c). Procedures and Time Limitations We are concerned that review procedures be initiated within the time period allowed by the regulations, 40 C.F.R. Part 124, so that we are not foreclosed from raising these important issues. Under S124.19(a) if this is construed as a petition for review, the petition must be filed within 30 days of service of the notice by the DEP of its final permit decision and the Administrator must issue an order granting the review within a reasonable time. S124.19(c). If for any reason you determine that S124.19(a) is not the proper procedure, we would request you to initiate review on your own initiative under S124.19(b), which appears to require you to act within the initial 30 days. Based on the issuance of the permit on December 7, 1987, we calculate that the 30 day period from the issuance of the permit will end on January 11, 1988. Pursuant to S124.20(a), the time began to run on the day after permit issuance. Since service of the DEP notice was by mail, we have added three days to the prescribed time in accordance with S124.20(d). The thirty—third day after December 7, 1987, is January 9, 1988, which is a Saturday, and S124.20(c) provides that the time period is extended to the next working day which is Monday, January 11, 1988k If this is construed as a review on your ------- —6— own initt tjve, notice must be given by this date and we reco nend that nctice granting review in either case be provided by January 11, 1988. The regional Office filed comments on the draft permit within the DEP’g public comment period. See , Hearing Officer’s Report, December 7, 1987, Appendiji B. e construe the definition of person in S124.41 to include an EPA regional office. Therefore the Region, as a person who filed comments, is a proper party to file a petition for review under S124. 19(a). By whichever means review is initiated, the review procedure is intended to prevent raising facts or issues on appeal that were not raised in the public comment period. See , 45 Fed . 3341]., Col. 3 (May 19, 1980). Section 124.19(a) r ires a statement that the issues being raised for review were raised during the comment period to the extent required by Part 124. A person’s obligation is to “raise all reasonably ascertain- able issues and submit all reasonably available arguments by the close of the public comment period.” S124.13. The issues raised herein were not required to be raised earlier since these issues could not have been known at the time the comment period closed on June 12, 1987. Indeed, we had advised the DEP that a public comment period should be provided so that public comments could be received on the PM 10 permit decision. Notice of the initiation of the review procedures should be sent to: Mr. Robert Donahue Pre s ide n t Camden County Energy Recovery Associates 110 South Orange Avenue Livingston, New Jersey 07039 Mr. Richard T. Dewling Commi ssioner New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection 401 East State Street CN-02? Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Mr. Gary Pierce Chief Bureau of Engineering and Regulatory Development Division of Environmental Quality New Sersey State Department of Environmental Protection 401 East State Street CN- 027 Trenton, New, Jersey 08625 ------- —7— Enclosed are copies of the following documents upon which this request is based: 1. PERMIT TO CONSTRUCT, INSTALL, OR ALTER CONTROL APPARATUS OR EQUIPMENT AND TEMPORARY - CERTIFICATE TO OPERATE CONTROL APPARATUS OR EQUIPMENT AND PREVENTION OF SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION PERMIT December 7, 1987 - 2. HEARING OFFICER’S REPORT FOR THE APPLICATION BY CAMDEN COUNTY ENERGY RECOVERY ASSOCIATES TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE A SOLID WASTE RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY December 7, 1987 - 3. Letter from Robert F. Donahue, President, Camden County Energy Recovery Associates to Jorge H. Berkowitz, New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection, Subject: Camden County Resource Recovery Facility PM 10 BACT Analysis, with enclosure November 16, 1987 Enclosures (3) cc: Thomas L. Adams, LE—l33.’ ’ Francis S. Blake, LE—130 J. Craig Potter, ANR—443 Ronald L. M Callum, A-lO1 ------- tJ JITED STATES C 1VIR NMCNTAL PROTECTION AGENCY RrCroN IV In the matter oF LAKE COUNT? WASTE TO ENER(Y FACILITY Order OKAHUMP(A, FLORIDA PROCEEDtNGS UNDER SECTION 167 OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT, AS AMEHflED, 42 U.S.C. 57477 A1)PUNISTR TIVE ORDER This Administrative Order is issued this date by the Re jona1 Administrator, Ret ion IV, United States Environmental Protection Anency (EPA), pursuant to Section 167 of the Clean Air Act (the Act), 42 U.S.C. 57471. FINflING OF FACT 1. The NRC/Recovery Oroup, Inc., proooses to construct and onerate a Lake County Wacte to rnerqy Facility (Lake County) in Okahumpka, Lake County, Florida. The Lake County facility will consist of two mass hurr incinerators which will each incinerate approximately 2 () tons per day of municipal solid waste. ThWse incinerators will be fueled with a combination of municipal solid waste and wood chips. These incinerators will emit particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (502), nitroneri oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, lead, ery 1iu- , fluoride, sulfuric acid mist, mercury, dioxins, ------- —2— dibenzofurans, and hycrogen chloride. All o t. mentioned pollutants are regulated by the Act toxu ,, dibenzoturans, and hydrogen chloride. 2. The area of construction of the Laki? niy Waste to Energy Facility is located in an attainment- are i or all pollutants regulated by the Act. [ 40 Code ot Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) §81.310] The facility is considered a major stationary source Decause its potential emissions (which are subject to regulations under the Act) ar above the Prevention ot SigniLicant Deterioration (PSD) of Air Quality threshold level. Consegutntly, this facility is regulated under the PSD rules and regulations. 3. On March 11, 1986, the NRC/Recovery Group applied to the ‘loriua Department ot Environmental Regulation (DER) ror a PSU permit to construct anu operate two 250 tons per aay municipal solid waste energy recovery units at its Lake County racility located on Jim Ro’ ers Road in Okahumpka, Florida, pursuant to the Florioa State implementation Plan (SIP) [ Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) Rule 17—2.500 et seq.] 4. On May 20, 1986, in response to said PSD application, the Florida DER issued a Preliminary Determination which contained, in the State’s judgment, the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for the proposed incinerators. The BACT Determination contained emission limits for all applicable pollutants regulated by the Act and contemplated that a oaghouse (to control particulates) in combination ------- —3— with a scrubber (to control acid gases) constituted BAC . 5. On 3uly 2, 1986, EPA notified the Florida DER that the SO 2 emission limit contained in the Florida DER B. CT Determination may not adequately reflect BACT (i.e., pro 1 od SO 2 emission limit not sufficiently stringent) and that the BACT Determination should also consider the effect of controlling SO 2 on unregulated pollutants such as hydrogen chloride and dioxin. Furthermore, EPA informed DER that it was EPA policy that the control of nonregulatecl air pollutants may be considered in imposing a more stringent BAd limit on regulated pollutants, if there is a reduction in the nortregulated air pollutants which can be directly attributed to the control device selected for the abatement of the regulated pollutants. 6. On August 15, 1986. DER issued a second PSD Prelir’ ary Determination with a modified BACT fletermination. The modified BACT Determination no longer contained the requirement for ac:d gas controls, but only required that the applicant leave space for the acid gas control equipment in he event there would be a future state rule change for resource recovery facilities. Removal of the requirement to employ acid gas control meant the modified BACT Determination could not adequately address EPA’s concern about a more stringent SO 2 emission limit. 7. on September 19, 1986, EPA notified DCR that EPAI wac not persuaded by Lake County’s contention that municipal solid waste incineration with acid qas control is not ------- —4— economically feasible. 8. On September 24, 1986, the Florida DER issued its Final Determination and PSD permit to the NRC/Recovery Group for the proposed Lake County facility. The Final Determination and State PSD permit did not require the installation of acid gas control. 9. On October 23, 1986, EPA notified the Florida DER that EPA did not concur with DER’s Final Determination regarding the issue of BACT. EPA recommended that the Final Deterr’ ination and the Florida DER nermit be reissued with a BACT Determination which reflects state—of—the—art technology (•acid gas control and more stringent emission limitations for particulate matter and SC) 2 ). 10. On January 30, 1987, EPA—Region IV prepared an indepenc1er t BACT analysis, which varied from DER’s Final Deternination, in that it contained “tore stringent emission limitations for particulate ,..matter and SO 2 (achieved through the use of hiQh efficiency particulate emission and acid gas controls). 11. On February 11, 1987, EPA notified Florida DEP. that the DER PSD permit issued to the NRC/Recovery Group for the Lake County facility on September 24, 1986, was deficient and that EPA may initiate appropriate enforcement action against the Lake County facility to prevent or delay the construction of the facility. 12. On February 11, 1987, EPA notified the NRC/Recovery ------- — — Group that the Florida DCR PSD permit was ceticient and that unless the DER PSD permit was modified to reflect what CPA considers BACT, EPA may initiate appropriate enforcettent action to prevent or delay the construction of he tacility. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW 1. The Administrator of the EPA pursuant to his authority un er Secticn 109 ot the Act, 42 U.S.C. §7409, promulgated National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Stancarcis (NkAQS) for certain criteria pollutants, including total suspenaei particulate matter, sul ur oxides ($02), nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxiue, ozone, and lead. (40 C.F.R. SS5U.4 — 50.12) 2. Pursuant to Section 110 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 7410, tne Aaministrator of EPA, in 45 Federal R 2ister 52b76 (. uçust 7, 1980), prornu1gat d amended regulations for PSD in areas where the existing air quality is better than saici ambient stanaarcjs and ncorporated said regulations into trie various implementation plans ot each state. The relevant regulations are coditieø at 40 C.F.R. §51.24. 3. The Florida SIP contains federally approved PSD regulations, based on the above—reterenced PSD regulations, for such attainement or 1 clean airN areas. (F.A.C. Rule 17—2. 500) 4. The area ot construction for the Lake County Waste to Energy facility is an attainment area tor NAAQS for all pollutants. (40 C.F.R. §81.310) ------- —6— 5. 4RG/Recovery Group is the owner and operator or the major emitting resource recovery facility in Lake County, Florida, and proposes to construct at that site pursuant to the PSD permit issued to the Lake County Waste to Energy facility by Florida DER on September 24,. 1986. 6. EPA finds the Florida DER PSD permit issued to the Lake County Waste to Energy facility to be deficient in that it rails to require the installation of acid gas control. The Florida DE< PSD permit also fails to require more stringent emission limitations for particu- late matter and SO 2 . lhese deficiencies invalidate the State—issued PSD permit. 7. The construction of the Lake County Waste to Eiergy tacility pursuant to an invalid permit will violate Section l 5(a) or the Act, 42 U.S.C. §7475(a), and 40 C.F..R. §51.24. Consequently, the issuance of this order, pursuant to Section 167 of the Act, ¶2 u.s.c. 57477, is requlreJ to prevent such construction. 8. ihe authority of the Administrator ot EPA pursuant to 5113(a) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 57413(a), to make findings of violation of the Florida SIP, to issue notices ot violation and to conter with the alleged violator has been delegated, first, to the Regional Administrator (earlier delegation consolidatco to Delegations Manual, No. 7—6 (July 2S, 1964)] and second, to the Dir&ctor, Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Mar ager ent Division, Region IV [ earlier delegation consolicatec ------- —7— in Region IV Delegation Manual, No. 4—2 (March ib, 1985)]. 9. The authority of the Administrator ot EPA to issue orders pursuant to Section 167 of the Act, 42 u.s.c. §7477, - was delegated to the Regional Administrator [ earlier delegation consolidated to Delegations Manual, No. 7—38 (July 25, 1984)). The Regional Administrator, Region IV, has also consulted with the Associate Enforcement Counsel for Air and the Director of the Stationary Source Con pliance Division pursuant to deleaation requirement. ORDER Consequently, based upon investigation and analysis of all relevant tacts, including any good taith ettorts to comply, and pursuant to Section 167 of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. §7477, the NRG/Recovery Group, Inc. (Lake County haste to Energy facility), is hereby ORDERED: 1. etfective immediately upon receipt ot this Order, not to Coramence any on—site construction activity ot a permanent nature on its two 250 tons per day unic1pai solia waste energy recovery units, including, but not limited to, installation of building supports and foundations, paving, laying of underground pipe, construction of permanent storage structures and activities ot a similar nature. 2. not to commence any on—site construction activity until it has received a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit and Final Determination that incorporates all ------- ti requirements for PSD pursuant to aria in accorcance with tht provisxons Ot Part C, Subpart 1 ot the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 V.S.C. S7470 et. the regulations promulgated thereunder at 40 C.F.R. S51.24 and/or the regulations of the - federally enforceable Florida State Implementation Plan, Rule 17—2.500 of the Florida Administrative Code, and Chapter 403 at the Florida Statutes including EPA’s Best Available Control Technology analysis, dated January 30, 1987 (which addresses acia gas control aria more stringent emission limitations tar sulrur dioxide and particulate matter), and; . to submit, no later than ten (10) days atter receipt ot this Order, certirication that the prohibition in paragraph one (1) at this Order has been observed ana will continue to be observed until thc permit referenced in paragraph two (2) ot this Orcer has b n issuea. ‘Such certi 1cation snail De suDmitted to; Winston A. Smith, Director Air, Pesticides, aria Toxics Management Division United States Environmental Protection Agency 345 Courtland Street, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30365 (404) 347—3043 JUN 3 1987 ( 7 L1 Date Jack E. Ravan Regional Administrator ------- UNITED STATE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION V IN REGARDING: ) ) Indiana Depertment of Environmental ) FINDING OF VIOLATION Management ) EPA-5—86—A-So St. Joseph County Health ) Department ) Air Pollution, Permit to Operate ) Dated February 6. 1986, to ) A.M. General Coporation ) ) A PROCEEDING PURSUANT TO ) SECTION 113(a)(5).OF THE ) CLEAN AIR ACT, AS AMENDED ) ( 42 U.S.C. Section 7413 (a)) I NTRODUCT!ON On February 6, 1986, the St. Joseph County Health Uepartment, as duly authorized delegate of the State of Indiana, Issued a permit to operate several air pollution sources operated by AM General Corporation- located at 13200 McKinley, Mishawaka, Indiana. FINDING OF VIOLATION For reasons set forth below, the Administrator finds that the permit to operate, issued by the St. Joseph County Health Department on February 6, 1986, to AM General Corporation, (AMG) failed to comply with the requirements of Indiana Air Pollution Control Regulation APC-19 Section 4 and 8 that the St. Joseph County Health Department, as duly authorized delegate of the State 0 f Indiana, did not act In compliance with those requirements. The permit to operate issued by St. Joseph County Health Department on February 6, 1986, to AM General Corporation increased the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions from 197.3 tons per year to 377.0 tons per year. This VOC emission increase of 179.7 tons pe’r year allowed to *11G. subjects the facility to Regulat:on APC—19. ------- 2 regulation APC.19Sectfon 4 b(4) requires any person proposing the construction, modification or reconstruction of a major facility which will impact on the air quality of a nonattainment area or which will be located in a nonattainment area, shall comply with the requirement of Section 8 of this regulation, as applicable. Regulation APC—19 Section 8 requires the same person to demonstrate along with other requirements: (1) Increased emissions of the pollutant are to be offset and are equal to 90 percent or less of the offsetting emissions. (2) Application of emissions limitation devices or techniques such that the Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) for the pollutant will be achieved. This document serves as notification that the Administrator, by duly delegated authority, has made a finding under Section 113(a)(5) of the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C 7413(a)(5), and is served on both the State of Indiana and Its delegate, the St. Joseph County Health Department, as well as AM General Corporation to provIde an opportunity to confer with the Administrator prior to initiation of a civil action pursuant to Section 113(b)(5). By offering the opportunity for such a conference or participating in one, the Administrator does not waive his right to coninence a civil action imediately under Section 113(b). Date:__ 19 David Kee, flirector Air Management flivislon ------- UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AC ENCy REGION V In the Matter of: ) AM GENERAL CORPORATION ) NOTICE OF VIOLATION MISHAWAKA,1NDIANA ) EPA-5-86.A 4g ) Proceedings Pursuant to ) Section 113(a)(1) of the ) Clean Air Act, as amended ) [ 42 U.S.C. Section 7413(a)(1)] ) STATUTORY AUTHORITY This Notice of Violation Is Issued pursuant to Section 113(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act, as amended, [ 42 U.S.C. Section 7 413(a)(1)]; lereafter referred to as the Act . FINDINGS OF VIOLATION The Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), by authority duly delegated to the undersigned, finds: 1. Indiana Air Pollution Control Board (IAPC B) Regulation APC—19 dealing with °ermits, P50, Emission Offsets, Is part of the applicable implementat1 n plan for the State of Indiana approved by U.S. EPA on February 16, 19R2, at 47 Federal Register 6621 and establish operating and construction permit requirements pertaining to AM General Corporation’s facility located at 13200 MckInley Highway, Mishawaka, IndIana. 2. As indicated more specifically below: AM General Corporation (AMG) operates a miscellaneous metal part coating facility In Mishawaka, Indiana which Is In violation of IAPCB regulation APC-19 as given below: (a) On February 6, 1986 AM General Corporation was Issued a permit to operate, by St. Joseph County Health Department. This permit to operate allows ANG, to Increase Its volatile organic compounds (VOC) enisslons from 197.3 tons per year to 377 tons per year. This VOC emission increase of 179.7 tons per year allowed to ANG subject the facility to IAPCR regulaton APC—19. (b.) This perl:t to operate Issued to AMG, faIled to comply with t e. j rements of IAPCR regulation APC.19, SectIon 4 and ------- 2 (1) the applicant did not apply emission limitation devices or’ technIques Such that the Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) for VOC was not achieved. (ii) the increased VOC emissions were not offset by a reduction In VOC emission by existIng facilities—. NOTICE OF VIOLATION The Administrator of the U.S. EPA, by authority duly delegated to the under- signed, notifies the State of Indiana and the AM General Corporation, that the facility described above is in violation of the applicable implementatIon plan as set forth In the Finding of Violation. DATE JUN 1 1. David Kee, flirector Air Management Division ------- c m I® SECTION G DOCUMENT 3 Guidance on Limiting Potentia’ to Emit in New Source Permitting 06/13/89 ------- £ UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY J WASHINGTON, D.C. 204$o UlI3 MEMORANDUM SUBJECT: Guidance on Limiting Potential to Emit in Ne Source FROM: dL 7’ Associate Enforcement Counsel Air Enforcement Division Office of Enforcement and Compliance onitoring John S. Seitz, Director Stationary Source Compli e Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards TO: Addressees This memorandum transmits the final guidance on conditions in construction permits which can legally limit a source’s potential to emit to minor or de minimis levels. We received many helpful commeflts on the January 24, 1989 draft of this guidance, and have incorporated the comments into the final document wherever possible. A summary of the major changes which have been made to the guidance in response to these comments is provided below. Several commenters noted that the draft guidance used the term “federally enforceable” to mean both federally enforceable as defined in the new source regulations (40 C.F.R. §S 52.21(b) (17), 51.165(a) (1)(xiv), 51.166(b) (17)), and enforceable as a practical matter. We have tried to distinguish the places where each term should be used, explained the relationship between the two term., and indicated that in order to properly restrict potential to emit, limitations must be both federally enforceable as defined in the regulations and practically enforceable. ------- —2— S co ent.rs requested that the section on averaging times for Production limits be more Specific as to when it is appropriate to use limitations which •xceed a one month time basis. We have tried to explain why it is not possible to develop generic criteria for making this distinction, and to indicate situations where exceptions to the policy that production and operation limitations not excsed one month may be warranted. There were some requests for a section on enforcement. We have included a new Section V I which addresses this topic. We also received many good suggestions on the example permit limitations. The section on examples has been substantially reworked to reflect your comments. Finally, we learned through the comments that in two specific circumstances, short term emission limits are th. most useful and rsasonab]. way to restrict and verify limits on potential to emit. These circumstances are: 1) when control equipment is installed but control equipment operating parameters are difficult to measure during enforcement inspections; and 2) in surface coating operations with numerous and unpredictable use of coatings containing varying Voc content, where add-on control equipment is not employed. Therefore, we have made a narrow exception to the flat prohibition on use of emission limits to restrict potential to emit for these specific circumstances, and only when certain additional conditions have been met. Again, we appreciate the thoughtful comments we have received on this guidance. Please insert this document into your Clean Air Act Compliance/Enforcement Policy Compendium as Item Number H. . If you have any questions, please contact Judith Katz in the Air Enforcement Division at rrs 382-2843, or Sally Farrell in the Stationary Source Compliance Division at rrs 382- 2875. Addressees; R.gional Counsels Regions I X Regional Counsel Air Branch chiefs Regions I X Air Management Division Directors Regions I, III, and IX Air and Wait. Management Division Director Region II ------- LIMITING POTENTIAL TO EMIT IN NEW SOURCE PERNIIIWrING JUNE 13, 1989 AIR ENFORCEMENT DIVISION OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE MONITORING STATIONARy SOURCE COMPLIANCE DIVISION OFFICE OF AIR QUALITY PLANNING AND STANDARDS ------- Limiting Potential, to Emit in Hey Source Permitting I. Introduction Whether a new source or modification is major and subject to new source review under Parts C and D of the Clean Air Act is dependent on whether that source or modification has or will have the potential to emit major or significant amounts of a regulated pollutant. Therefore, the definition of “potential to emit” under the new source regulations is extremely important in determining the applicability of new source review to a particular source. The federal regulations define “potential to emit” as: the maximum capacity of a stationary source to emit a pollutant under its physical and operational design. Any physical or operational limitation on the capacity of the source to emit a pollutant, including air pollution control equipment and restrictions on hours of operation or on the type or amount of fuel combusted, stored or processed, shall be treated as part of it. design if the limitation or the effect it would have on emissions is federally enforceable. 40 C.?.L$ 52.21(b)(4), 51.165(a) (1) (iii), 51.166(b) (4). Permit limitations are very significant in determining whether a source is subject to major new source review. This is because they ar. the easiest and most common way for a source to obtain restrictions on its potential to emit. A permit does not ------- 2 have to be a aa or source permit to legally restrict potential amissions. A minor source construction permit issued pursuant a state program approved by EPA as meeting the requirament. of 4 C.F.R. 4 Sl.160 is federally enforceable. In fact, any permit limitation can l.gally restrict potential toamit if it meets two criteria: 1) it is federally enforceabl, as defined by 40 C.F.R. H 52.21(b)(17), 51.165(a)(1)(xiv), 51.166(b)(17), jj.., contained in a permit issued pursuant to an EPA-approved permitting program or a permit directly issued by EPA, or has been submitted to EPA as a revision to a Stat. Implementation Plan and approved as such by EPA; and 2) it i. enforceable as a practical matter. The second criterion is an implied requirement of the first criterion. A permit requirement may purport to be federally enforceable, but, in reality cannot be federally enforceable if it cannot be enforced as a practical matter. Non-permit limitations can also legally restrict potential to emit. These limitations include New Source Performance Standards codified at 40 C.F.R. Part 60 and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants codified at 40 C.F.R. Part 61. The appropriate means of restricting potential to emit through permit conditions has been an issue in recent enforcement cases. Through these cases and through guidance issued by EPA, the Agency has addressed three questions: what types of permit ------- 3 limitatio can legally limit potential. to emit; whether long averaging ti*ss for production limitations ar. enforceable as a practical matter; and whether sources may limit potential to emit to amer source levels as a means of circumventing the preconstructjon review requirements of ia or source review. II. The Louisiana-pacific Case In United States v. Louisiana—pacific CorDoratign , 682 F. Supp. 1122 CD. Cob. Oct. 30, 1987) and 682 F. Supp. 1141 (0. Cob. March 22, 1988), Judge Alfred Aftaj discussed the type of permit restrictions which can be used to limit a source’s potential to emit. The Judge concluded that: ...not all federally enforceable restrictions are properly considered in the calculation of a source’s potential to emit. While restrictions on hours of operation and on the amount of materials combusted or produced are properly included, blanket restrictions on actual emissions are not. 682 F. Supp. at 1133. The Court held that Louisiana-Pacific’. permit conditions which limited carbon monoxide emission.. to 78 tons per year and volatile organic compounds to 101.5 tons p.r year should not be considered in determining “potential to emit” because these blanket emission limits did not reflect the typ. of permit conditions which restricted operations or production such as limits on hours of operation, fuel consumption, or final product. ------- 4 rh. Louisian —Paciflc court was guided in its reasoning by the DC. Circuit’s holding in Alabama Power v Costle , 636 323 (D.C. Circuit 1979). Before Alabama Power , EPA regii1at. . . .... required potential to emit to be calculated according to a source’s maximum uncontrolled emissions. In Alabama Power , the D. C. Circuit remanded those regulations to EPA with instructic that the Agency includ, the effect of in—plac, control squipee in defining potential to emit. EPA went beyond the minimum dictates of the D.C. Circuit in promulgating revised r.gulati in 1980 to include, in addition to control equipment, any federally enforceable physical or operational limitation. T’ Louisiana-Pacific court found that blanket limits on emissic did not fit within the concept of proper restrictions on potential to emit as set forth by Alabama Power . Moreover, Judge Arra) found that: - a fundamental distinction can be drawn between th federally enforceable limitations which are expressi included in the definition of potential to emit and (emission) limitations.... Restrictions on hour’ operation or on the amount of material which may be coabusted or produced ... are, relatively speaking, •asier to ‘federally enforce.’ Compliance with suc conditions could be easily verified through the te officers, all manner of int•rnal. correspondence an accounting, purchasing, and production records. contrast, compliance with blanket restrictions en emissions would be virtually impossible to verify enforce. Id. Thus, Judge Arraj found that blanket emission 1 not enforceable as a practical matter. ------- 5 ?ix ally, the Court reasoned that allowing blanket .mission limitations to restrict potential to emit would violat, the intent of Congress in establishing the Prevention of Significant D.t.rioration (PSD) program. III. Types of Limitations that will Restrict Potential to Emit As an initial matter in this discussion, a few important terms should be defin.d. Emission limits ar. restrictions ov.r a given period of time on the amount of a pollutant which say be emitted from a source into the outside air. Production limits are restrictions on the amount of final product which can be manufactured or otherwise produced at a source. Operational limits are al]. other restrictionS on the manner in which a source is run, including hours of operation, amount of raw material consumed, fuel combusted, or conditions which specify that the source must install and maintain add-on controls that operate at a specified emission rate or efficiency. All production and operational limits except for hours of operation are limits on a sources capacity utilization. Potential emissions are defined as the product of a source’s emission rate at maximum operating capacity, capacity utilization, and hours of operation. To appropriately limit potential to emit consistent with the opinion in Louisiana—Pacific , all permits issued pursuant to 40 C.FR. S15l.160, 51.166, 52.21 and 51.165 must contain a ------- 6 - production or operational limitation in addition to the emission limitatj.m in cases where th. emission limitation does not ref lect the maximum emissions of the source operating at full design capacity without pollution control equipment. Restrictions on production or operation that will limit potential to emit include limitations on quantities of raw materials consumed, fuel combusted, hours of operation, or conditions which specify that the sourcs must install and maintain controls that reduce emissions to a specified emission rate or to a specified efficiency level. Production and operational limits must be stated as conditions that can be enforced independently of one another. For example, restrictions on fuel which relates to both typ. and amount of fuel coabusted should stat. each as an independent condition in the permit. This is necessary for purposes of practical enforcement so that, if one of the conditions is found to be difficult to monitor for any reason, the other may still be enforced. When permits contain production or operational limits, they should also have crc1ke.ping requirements that allow a permitting agency to ver y a source’s compliance with its limits. For example, permits with limits on hours of operation or amount of final product should require an operating log to be kept in which the hours of operation and the amount of final product produced are recorded. These logs should be available ------- 7 for inspection should staff of a permitting agency wish to check a •ource complianc. with the terms of it. permit. When Permits require add-on control. oPerated at a specified efficiency level., permit writer, should include, so that the operating efficiency condition is enforceabl, as a practccaj. matter, those operating parameters and assumptions which the permitting agency depended upon to determin, that th. control equipment would have a given efficiency. An emission limitation alone would limit potential to emit only when it reflects the absolute maximum that the source could emit without controls or other operational restrictions. When a permit contains no limits on capacity utilization or hours, of operation, the potential, to emit calculation should assume operation at maximum design or’ achievable capacity (whichever is higher) and continuous operation (8760 hours p .r year). The particular circumstances of som. individual sources make it difficult to state operating parameters for control equipment limits in a manner that is easily enforceable as a practical matter. Therefore, there ar. two exceptions to the absolute prohibition on using blanket emission limits to restrict pot.ntia . to emit. If the permitting agency determines that setting Operating parameters for control eg 4pment is infeasible in a particular situation, a federally enforceable permit ------- 8 contsjnji short term emissj limits lbs per hour) would be sufficient to limit potential to emit, provided that such 1 iaits reflect the operation of the control equipment, g the permit includes requirements to install, maintain, and operate a 1. continuous emission monitoring- (C () system and to retain cac data, and specifies that CaI data may be used to determine compliance with the emission limit. Likewise for volatile organic compound (VOC) surface coating operations where no add-on control is employed but emissions are restricted through limiting VOC contents and quantities of coatings used emission limits may be used to restrict potential to emit under the following limited circumstances. If the permitting agency determines for a - particular surface coating operation that operating and production parameters gallons of coati ng, quantities /2) produced) are not readily limited due to thi- wide variety of coatings and products and due to the unpredictable nature of the ------------------------------.--. opsxat4on, emission limits coupled with a requirement to calculate daily emissions may be used to restrict, potential to emit. The source must be required to keep the “records n4cessary for this calculation, including dail quantities and the VOC —, contsnt of .ach coating us.d. Emission limits may be used in this limited circumstance to restrict potential to emit since, in this case, emission limits are more easily enforceable than operating or production limits. ------- 9 iv. Time Period. For Limiting Production and Operation As discussed above, a limitation specifically r.cogniz.d by the regulations as reducing potential to emit is a limitation on production or operation. However, for these limitations to be enforceable as a practical matter, the tim. over which they extend should be as short term as possible and should generally not exceed one month. This policy was explained in a March 13, 1987 memorandum from John Seitz to Bruce Miller, Region IV. The requirement for a monthly limit prevents the enforcing agency from having to wait for long periods of time to establish a continuing violation before initiating an enforcement actiOn. EPA recognizes that in some rare situations, it is not reasonable to hold a source to a onthjjI these cases, a limit spanning a longer eTisapproprae it it is a rolling limit. However, the limit should not exceed an annual ‘limit rolled on a monthly basis. EPA cannot now set out all- inclusive aategori.s of sources where a production limit longer than a month viii be acceptable because every situation that may arise in the future cannot now be anticipated. However, permits where longer rolling limits are used to restrict production should b issued only to sources with substantial and unpr.dictable annual variation in produ t4 n, such as emergency ------- 10 boilers. : Olling limit. Could b. used as well for sources which shut dawu or curtail operation during part of a y.ar on a regular s.asonsl Cycle, but the permitting authority should first expic the possibility of imposing a month-by-month limit. Por example, if a pulp drier ii periodically shut down from December to April, the permit could contain a zero hours of operation limit for each of those months, and then th. appropriat. hourly operation limit for each of the remaining months. Under no circumstances would a production or operation limit •xpr.is.d on a calendar year annual basis be considered capabl. of legally restricting potential to emit. V. Sham Operational Limits In the past year, several sourc.s have obtained purportedi federally enforceabis permits with operating restrictions limiting their potential to emit to minor or de minimis levels for the purpose of allowing them to conence construction prior to receipt of a major sourc. permit. In such cases where EPA can demonstrate an intent to operat. the sourcs at major source levels, EPA considers the minor source construction permit void ab initio and will take appropriate enforcement action to prevent the source from constructing or operating without a major source permit. ------- 11 The buoying sxanple illustrates the kind of situation addre.s.( in this section: An existing sajor stationary source proposes to add a 12.5 a.qawatt electric utility steti generating unit, and applies for a federally enforceable ninor source permit which restricts opsratio at th. unit to 240 hours per year. Because the project is designed as a baseload facility, EPA do.. not believe that the source intend, to operate th. facility for only 240 hours a year. Further investigation would probably uncover docu .ntatjon of the source’s intent to operate at higher levels than those for which it i 5 permitted. This situation raises the question of whether a source can lawfully bypass the preconstructj n or presodjfjcatjon review requirenenta of Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and nonattajn ent New Source Review by committing to permit conditions which restrict production to a level at which the source does net intend to operate for any extensive tine. If, after constructing and commencing operation, the source obtains a relaxation of its original permit conditions prior to exceeding them, doss this constitute a violation of the preconat m tjon review requirements? This section discusses why it is i. roper to Construct a sourca with a miner source permit when there is intent to operate as a major source, and provides guidelines for identifying these ‘sham 1 permits. ------- 12 A. Permits with Conditions that do not reflect a source’s planned e of operation are void initic and cannot act to shield the source from the requirement to undergo preconstr-uct 4 review. 1. Sham permits az. not a llov.d by 40 CFR 52.21(r) (4) Section 52.21(r) (4) states: At such time that a particular source or modification becomes a major stationary source or major modification solely by virtue of a relaxation in any enforceable limitation which was established after August 7, 1980 on the capacity of the source or modification other’vise to emit a pollutant, such as a restriction on hours of operation, then (PSD) shall apply to the source or modification as though construction had not yet commenced en th. source or modification. When a source that is minor because of operating restrictions in a construction permit later applies for a relaxation of that construction permit which would make the source major, Section 52.21(r) (4) prescribes the methodology f’ determining best available control technology (BACT). However; it does not foreclose EPA’s ability, in addition to the retroactive application of BACT and other requirements of the PSD program, to pursue enforcement where the Agency believes that the initial minor source permit was a sham. EPA will limit its activity to requiring application of 40 CFR 52.21(r) (4) only for the eases vh re a source legitimately changes a project after finding that the operating restrictions which vere taken in good faith cannot be complied with. Whether a source has acted in good faith is a factual question which is answered by available idence in the particular case. ------- 13 2. Sham permits are not allowed by the definition of potential to emit: 40 C.F.R. H52.2l(b)(4), • 51.165(a) (1) (iii), 5].166(b)(4 ). The definition of potential to emit enables sources to obtain federally enforceable permits with operational restrictions as a means of limiting emissions to minor source levels. However, implicit in the application of these limitations is the understanding that they comport with the true design and intended operation of the project. 3. Sham permits are not allowed by the Clean Air Act Parts C and D of the Clean Air Act exhibit Congress’s clear intent that new major sources of air pollution be subject to Dreconstructjpn review. The purposes for these programs cannot be served without this essential element. Therefore, attempts to expedite constr i jon by securing minor source status through the receipt of operational restrictions from which the source intends to free itself shortly after operation are to be treated as circumvention of the preconstruction review requirements. ------- 24 $. Ouid.lines for determining whan minor source constrtactjon permits are shams. EPA’. determination that a purportedly federally enforc.ab__ construction permit is a sham is mads based on an evaluation of specific facts and evidence in each individual case. The following are criteria which should be scrutinized when making such a determination: 1. Piling a PSD or nonattainmant P4SR permit application If a major source or major modification permit application is filed simultaneously with or at approximately the same time as the minor source construction permit, thi. is strong evidence of an intent to circumvent the requirements of preconstruction review. Even a major source application filed after the minoi source application, but either before op.ration has commenced or after less than a year of operation should be looked at closely. 2. Applications for funding Applications for commercial loans or, for public utilities, bond issues, should be scrutinized to see if the source has guaranteed a certain level of operation which is higher than that in its construction permit. If the project would not be funded or if it would not be economically viable if operated on an ------- 15 extended basis (at least a year) at the psr itted evel of producti this should be considered as evidence of circumvention 3. Reports on coneuzsr demand and projected production levels. Stockholder reports, reports to the Securities and Exchange Co mLssion, utility board reports, or business permit applications should be reviewed for projected operation or production levels. If reported levels are necessary to meet projsct.d consumer demand but are higher than permitted levels, this is additional evidence of circu v*ntiOfl. 4. Statements of authorized representatives of the source regarding plans for operation. Statements by representatives of the source to EPA or to state or local permitting agencies about the source’s plans for operation can be vid.nc. to shov intent to circumvent pr.constr CtiOfl review requirements. Hots that if a determination is made that a permit is a “sham ’ for on. pollutant and, therefore, the source is a major source or major modification, the permit may possibly still contain valid limits on potential to emit for other pollutants. ------- 16 In such S1s , the entire source lust still go through new source revisw, rinq which, fpr PSD review, all pollutants for which ther. is a net hg ificintjncrsa,. must be analyzed for BACT. In nonattainmant new source review, new sources must have IAER determination, only for pollutants for which they are major. Major modifications, however, must have LAER determinations for all nonattainaent pollutants emitted in significant alounts. If the valid limits in a iaii a 1 jnor source construction permit keep certain pollutants below significanc. levels, then those pollutants would not hay, to be analyzed for MC? or LA!R. However, if a source or modification is determined to be major for PSD or NSR because part of its miner permit is d.ea .d veid, it would have to undergo BACT or L ER analysis for all significant pollutants. VI. Enforcement Procedures This guidance has discussed permit conditions which will legally restrict potential to emit, shielding a source from the requirement to comply with major new source permitting regulatioms. Failure by a permitting agency to adhere to these guidelines may result in a permit that does not l.ga]ly restrict potential to emit, thereby subjecting a source to major new source review. If that source has not gone through preconstructjon review, it is a significant violator of the Clean Air Act and is subject to enforcement for constructing or ------- 17 modifying vithout a major new source permit. Ths enforcement options available to EPA in these .ituatiens include administrative action under fl67 or 113(a) (5) of the Act or t.d.ral judicial action under 55 113(b) (2), 113(b) (5), 113(c), or 167. Which enforcement option is ..l.ct*d depends on the facts of the particular situation. (See u1y 15, 1988 guidance on EPA Procedures for Addressing Deficient 11ev source Prsits.) V I I. Example. m. following examples are provided to illustrate the type of permit restrictions which would and would not legally limit potential to eait to less than major source thresholds. These examples are provided for purposes of clarifying the potential to emit and averaging time guidance only. They are not intended to reflect all the permit conditions necessary for a valid permit. Specific test methods, compliance monitoring and r.cordkespiflg and reporting r.quir.*.nts are necessary to sake permit 1isitatioi enforceable as a practical matter. The use of examples vb.re averaging times ar. the longest times allowed under EPA policies is not intended to necessarily condone the selection of the longest averaging times; averaging times should in practice be a. short as possible. ------- 18 3 • S minor source construction permit for a boiler contains the following restrictions: 250,000 gal fuel/month; 0.st S fuel: 8000 hours/year. These conditions are f.d.rally enforceable production and operation limits, but do net limit potential to emit because one of them does not mast EPA policies on enforceability as a practical matter. The averaging tim. for hours of operation, on. of the operational limits necessary to restrict emissions to less than 250 tpy, exceeds a monthly or rolling yearly limit. If, instead of 8000 hours/year, the hourly restriction were stated as 666 hoi s/month, the permit would serve to keep the source a minor source, assuming the permit contains appropriate recordkeeping provisions. 2. A waferboard plant which has the physical capacity to emit over 300 tpy of carbon monoxide in the absence of using specific combustion techniques has the following permit restriction as the sole emission limitation: 249 tpy. This does not limit potential to emit since an operational or production restriction is necessary for the source to be restricted to 249 tpy. The permit must contain a restriction on hours of operation or capacity utilization which, when multiplied by the maximum emission rate for the CO sources at the plant, results in emissions of 249 tpy. Additionally, while the ------- 19 emissiom Uait alone cannot restrict potential to emit, the emission limit is unenforceable as a practical matter since it is limited on an annual basis. The permit should contain a short term emission limit (in addition to the annual emission limit), consistent with the complianc, period or pareaster in the applicable test method for determining compliance. 3. A small scale rock crushing plant that cannot emit more than 240 tpy under maximum operation without controls (including plant-wide particulate emissions from transf.r and storage operations) has the following permit restriction as the sols emission limitation: 240 tpy particulate matter. Since no operational limitations are necessary for th. source to emit below 250 tpy, no operational restrictions need be in the permit to limit potential to emit. However, although this is not a major source, the state agency should express the emission limit in this permit as a lb/hour measure or gr/dicf so that it viii be enforceable as a practical matter. 4. A plant consisting solely of a small rock crusher has the feii inq permit restrictions: 0.05 lb gr P /dscf; fabric filter must be employed and maintained at 99% efficiency. Assuming that maintaining the fabric filter at 99% efficiency vii ], result in emissions of less than 250 tpy, this ------- 20 permit ld limit potential to emit if it also Contained • thsr 1) param srs that allowed the permitting agency to verify the fabric filter’s operzi ting efficiency or 2) a requirement to install and operate cor tinuou& opacity monitors (Coils) and a specification thai CC 1 data may be used to verify compliance with emission limits. Nctotñat if this second alternative were adopted, it would ñàt be necessary to require that the fabric filter b maintained at S1 % •ftiâieiiicy. To determin, potential to emit, the efficiency rat, of the fabric filter would be multiplied by the maximum uncontrolled emission rate, the maximum numb.r of operating hours and maximum throughput capacity since there are no other operating or production limits. However, the efficiency rate of the fabric filter would not be enforceable as a practical. matter unless there were an enforceable means to monitor ESP performance on a short term basis. The two alternatives mentioned above veuld satisfy this requirement. 5. A surface coating operation has the capability of utilizizq 15,000 gal coating/month, with the following permit restrictiouis: 3.0 lb VOC/gal coating minu, water; 20.5 tons VOC/month; monthly voc emissions to be determined from records of the daily volumes of coatings used times the manufacturers specified VOC content. ------- 21 This does . not limit potential to emit since the source has the phy.* l capacity to eXceed 250 tpy of VOC, and the permit do... not contain a production or an operational 1 imitation • A monthly limit on gallons of coating used which when multiplied by 3.0 lb/gal equates to less, than th 2’5o tpy threshold ( g 13,500 gallons/month), with appropriate recàrdke.pthg, would generally be necessary to..liait potential to emit. If, however, the permitting agency detsrmi es, due to the wide variety of coatings employed and products produced, that restrictions on operation or production are not practically enforceable, then the above emission limits could restrict potential to emit if there ar. requirements that the source calculate emissions daily, and keep the appropriate records. If the sourcewas alternatively to meet the 20.5 ton/month limit by employing add-on controls, the permit would need to contain an operational limit, such as the requirement to install and operate an incinerator at 99% efficiency. A requirement to monitor incinerator efficiency (either directly or indirectly via temperature monitoring for example), and appropriate recordkeapjnq requirements to verify compliance with each of the permit oomditions would also be necessary to mak, th. permit conditions enforceable as a practical matter. Note, however, that in th. case where add-on controls are employed, the source may be able to meat a shorter term emission limit than the ton p.r month figure. ------- 22 V II !. Cqmc1usi Is hops th qu4.danc. vii], help E k’R.gions idsntify sou vhich hay. .t e, p R stia], s* t a or aaounts of an air pollutant vh eh W, ,i i) t:tho .. sources to the requir.a.nt of prso1,nstructjon .v; aourc ravi.v v ry Source which ii •uI j.et to tIwsP4oqujs but has not Obtain.d a *ajor new source permit .bo 4 be isrioiiiy consider.d for enforcement action. ------- |