xvEPA EPA Seeks Public Comment on Emerald Kalama Chemical's Hazardous Waste Management Permit United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 September 2022 The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology are requesting public comment on their proposed renewal of Emerald Kalama Chemical's (Emerald) permit to manage hazardous wastes at its facility in Kalama, WA. EPA and Ecology have evaluated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit Renewal Application and determined that operation of this facility does not pose an unreasonable risk of injury to human health or the environment, EPA and Ecology are proposing to approve the renewal and modification of this permit to Emerald. Several updates are being proposed in this draft permit to reflect current conditions at the Emerald facility as well as changes to the regulations governing combustion of liquid hazardous wastes in the U-3 boiler. These include permit conditions regarding: • Control of organic emissions from vents and lines feeding hazardous/dangerous waste into the boiler, • Emergency response procedures, • Training for employees who handle hazardous waste, • Closure of the hazardous waste management unit, • Corrective action to address releases of hazardous or dangerous waste, and • Financial assurance for closure and corrective action. Provisions regarding the burning or processing of hazardous waste in boilers and industrial furnaces are not included in Ecology's authorized RCRA program, and thus these provisions are issued under EPA's authority. The management of the hazardous waste, prior to its introduction into the U-3 boiler for thermal treatment, is covered under Ecology's dangerous waste management regulations. The facility is not authorized to accept hazardous waste from other sources, or store hazardous waste; all of the hazardous waste generated must be treated within the 90-day accumulation period allowed to generators of hazardous waste without a separate approval, or otherwise shipped to a permitted treatment, storage or disposal facility. A permit for storage of these hazardous wastes is therefore not required. ------- EPA Seeks Public Comment on Emerald Kalama Chemical's Hazardous Waste Management Permit About the Emerald Facility Emerald is an organic chemical manufacturing plant located in Kalama, Washington. Public Comments on the Proposed permit Renewal EPA and Ecology invite you to comment on the proposed renewal of Emerald's permit. Comments may be submitted to EPA and Ecology during a 45-day public comment period which begins on September 15, 2022 and ends on October 31, 2022. Comments may be submitted in writing via mail or email. Written comments should be emailed or postmarked on or before October 31, 2022, and sent to: Julie Congdon, Community Involvement Coordinator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 155 (12-D12) Seattle, WA 98101-3140 A public hearing, if held, will be conducted virtually. A virtual public hearing involves community members providing verbal comments to EPA and Ecology. Any public hearing will not include a question and answer session. EPA and Ecology will consider holding a public hearing if the following conditions are met: • Any request for a virtual public hearing is received by Julie Congdon via e-mail (congdon.julie@epa.gov) on or before October 29, 2022. The request for a virtual public hearing must state the nature of the comments that will be presented during the hearing, and • There is significant interest in holding a virtual public hearing. For More Information If you have questions or would like more information, you may call Jan Palumbo, EPA Project Manager, at (800) 424-4372, x.6902 or via email at 3alumbo.jan@epa.gov. Electronic copies of EPA and Ecology's proposed Permit and other relevant documents are available at: https://www.epa.gov/publicnotices/proposed-hazardous-waste-permit-emerald-kalama-chemical-washington. EPA and Ecology also maintain administrative records supporting the proposed decision. Copies and other information may be requested by contacting Jan Palumbo. If you need materials in another language or an alternative format, please contact Julie Congdon at 1-800-424-4372, Ext.4372. Stay Connected If you would like regular updates about this site, email Julie Congdon at congdon.julie@epa.gov to join our listserv. If you prefer printed information, please include your mailing address. Phone: (800) 424-4372,ext.2752 Email: congdon.julie@epa.gov ------- |