EPA Cites 18 Companies For Clean-Air Violations

Region 5 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has notified 18 companies that it believes they violated federal or federally enforceable state clean-air regulations.

These are preliminary findings of violations.  To resolve them, EPA may issue compliance orders, assess administrative penalties or bring suit against the companies.  The companies have 30 days from receipt of the notices to request meetings with EPA to discuss resolving the allegations.

"EPA's mission is to protect public health and the environment," said Thomas Skinner, Region 5 administrator. "We will take whatever steps are needed to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act."

Companies alleged to have violated federal clean-air regulations received a Finding of Violation and companies alleged to have violated federally enforceable state regulations received a Notice of Violation.  Four companies received both.

Companies receiving FOVs are the following:

·Morgan Electro Ceramics Inc., Bedford, Ohio, for failure to comply with federal limits on perchloroethylene emissions from two batch vapor degreasers at its electro-ceramics manufacturing plant.  In addition, EPA alleges the company failed to maintain an accurate log of solvents added to one of the degreasers.

·Copeland Corp., Sidney, Ohio, for failing to comply with federal stratospheric ozone standards at the company's compressor and condenser manufacturing plant.

·Spectro Alloys Corp., Rosemont, Minn. For failing to comply with federal clean-air regulations by emitting excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid from furnaces used to recover aluminum from aluminum scrap.

·Aluminum Recovery Technologies Inc., Kendallville, Ind., for failing to comply with federal clean-air regulations by emitting excessive amounts of dioxin, furans and hydrochloric acid from furnaces and scrap dryers.

·Cognis Corp., Kankakee, Ill., for violating national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants by failing to adequately test, monitor and keep records of hazardous air-pollutant emissions, including methanol, ethylene dichloride and hydrochloric acid.

·Georgia-Pacific Corp., Green Bay, Wis., for violating federal stratospheric ozone rules governing the production, use and safe disposal of ozone-depleting refrigerants at its paper mill. In addition, EPA alleges G-P violated federal new source performance standards by failing to meet emission standards for its fossil fuel-fired steam generator.

·Perrigo Co., Allegan, Mich., for violating federal stratospheric ozone rules governing the production, use and safe disposal of ozone-depleting refrigerants.

Cytec Industries Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich., violating federal stratospheric ozone rules governing the production, use and safe disposal of ozone-depleting refrigerants. 

·DaimlerChrysler Corp., Kokomo, Ind., for violating federal clean-air regulations by making significant modifications to its transmission plant that increased its air pollution emissions without getting a permit requiring control of these emissions and without adding required control technology. The company also failed to provide enough information about these modifications in its Clean Air Act Title 5 operating permit application.

·M.C. Aluminum America Inc., Columbus, Ind., for violating federal clean-air regulations by failing a performance test for dioxin and furans, both hazardous air pollutants, on one of the company's thermal chip dryers.

Star Metals Inc., Petersburg, Ind., for violating federal clean-air regulations by exceeding its emission limit for dioxins and furans, both hazardous air pollutants, at its scrap dryer during a May 2003 emissions test.

·Nemschoff Chairs, Sheboygan, Wis., for violating federal reporting, recordkeeping, notification, planning and permitting requirements of national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants.  In addition, EPA alleges the company failed to meet hazardous air pollutant emissions limitations.

·Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill., for violating federal stratospheric ozone rules governing the production, use and safe disposal of ozone-depleting refrigerants.

·SAPPI Fine Paper North America, Muskegon, Mich., for violating federal clean-air regulations by performing numerous life extension projects at its recovery furnace that triggered new source performance standards reconstruction provisions but failed to comply with those new source requirements.

·OSCO Industries Inc., Portsmouth, Ohio and Jackson, Ohio, for violating federal clean-air regulations by making major modifications to these two gray-iron foundries without getting proper permits and without installing necessary pollution control equipment.

·Perma-Fix of Dayton Inc., Dayton, Ohio, for failing to comply with federal clean-air regulations when it built a biological wastewater treatment operation at its waste treatment facility. 

Companies receiving NOVs include the following:

·Morgan Electro Ceramics Inc.

·International Truck and Engine Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., for violating federally enforceable state clean-air regulations by making major modifications to its gray-iron foundry without proper permitting or registration and without using necessary pollution-control equipment.

·SAPPI Fine Paper North America, Muskegon, Mich.

·Rockwell Lime Co., Manitowoc, Wis., for violating its federally enforceable state permit to prevent significant deterioration of air quality by exceeding the limit on the sulfur content of combustion fuel at one of its lime kilns.

·DaimlerChrysler Corp., Kokomo, Ind.