SunCoke Energy and two of its subsidiaries will pay $1.995 million to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations of emission limits at the Gateway Energy and Coke plant in Granite City, Illinois, and the Haverhill Coke plant in Franklin Furnace, Ohio.
The companies will pay a penalty of $1.27 million to the United States, $575,000 to the State of Illinois, and $150,000 to the State of Ohio. Illinois and Ohio are co-plaintiffs in this case.
The primary violations alleged relate to excessive bypass venting of hot coking gases directly to the atmosphere, resulting in excess SO2 and particulate matter emissions from the facilities’ waste heat and main stacks, in violation of applicable permit limits. Coke oven emissions are a known human carcinogen.
The companies will also spend $255,000 on a lead abatement project in southern Illinois to reduce lead hazards in owner-occupied low-income residences with priority given to families with young children or pregnant women.
The Consent Decree in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois is subject to a 30-day public comment period and almost certain approval by the federal court. (It is available on the Justice Department website at www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html)
“The substantial upgrades required by today’s settlement will reduce air pollution that can harm public health and the environment,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “EPA is committed to reducing toxic air pollution from sources that have an impact on the health of communities.”
In addition, the companies will spend $100 million at the two heat-recovery coking facilities to install equipment known as heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) so that hot coking gases are routed to pollution control equipment and not vented directly into the atmosphere.
If future emissions exceed the threshold at a third facility, in Middletown, Ohio, then SunCoke will have to install an additional HRSG at that facility to prevent uncontrolled venting of coking gases. SunCoke will also spend an estimated $700,000 on equipment to monitor continuously sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions at the Gateway and Haverhill facilities.
Moreover, the companies have agreed to accept more stringent emission limits than required in their current permits for SO2 and particulate matter and, in the case of the Gateway Facility, lead. SO2 contributes to acid rain and exacerbates respiratory illness, particularly in children and the elderly. Exposure to particulate pollution is linked to decreased lung function, aggravated asthma and premature death in people with heart or lung disease.
Chronic (long-term) exposure in humans can result in conjunctivitis, severe dermatitis and lesions of the respiratory system and digestive system. The additional equipment installed at the facilities will result in emissions reductions of over 1200 tons per year of SO2, over 130 tons per year of particulate matter, 252 tons per year of hydrochloric and sulfuric acid gases and over 1800 pounds per year of lead.
