City of Chicago Pet Coke & Other Bulk Solid Materials Regulations Take Effect; Dust Management Plans Due in June

Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued new regulations that require facilities that store pet coke, coal, and other forms of coke to fully enclose their storage piles and that those companies provide the City with monthly reports as they implement the many health and safety measures established by CDPH. 

The City will require facilities that handle pet coke and other coke facilities to establish storage buildings to contain all of their materials.  Additionally, these facilities will be required to enclose all transfer points and conveyors, install monitors that can detect the emission of dust, tarp or cover all material-carrying trucks, and pave internal roads and conduct daily street sweeping to ensure cleaner transport of materials on site. Companies will have 90 days from the March 13^th effective date to submit plans for overall dust management and for establishment of the enclosure facility.  The enclosure facility must be completed within two years of the submission of the plan, and the companies must provide the City with monthly progress updates. The regulations, which go into effect immediately, can be reviewed at www.cityofchicago.org/EnvironmentalRules.

In addition, the City introduced a zoning ordinance that would prohibit the establishment of new pet coke and coal facilities or the expansion of any existing facilities. 

In addition to the requirements for pet coke, coke, and coal, Chicago also included a set of requirements for other facilities that store other bulk solid materials like ferro alloys, zinc, and graphite to ensure that these facilities operate cleanly.  Facilities that store these materials will be required to restrict the heights of material piles to 30 feet or less, establish a dust suppressant system that uses water cannons or other delivery mechanisms to reduce dust emissions, tarp or cover all material-carrying trucks, and clean up any land spills within one hour and any water spills immediately.   

CDPH issued the regulations following a 50-day public comment period in which the City received approximately 1600 pages of comments from more than 60 individuals and organizations.  The public can review the CDPH response to submitted comments and the City's study at www.cityofchicago.org/EnvironmentalRules.

Pet coke is the solid by-product of petroleum refining which generally contains high concentrations of carbon and sulfur, and also may include trace elements of metals such as vanadium, nickel, chromium and lead.

Questions You May Have about the Registration of Smaller Sources Program (ROSS)

Initial Eligibility & Renewal Emission Criteria

If I have 5.02 or 5.3 tons of actual combined pollutants but have been 3.6 tons and 3.0 tons the past few years, is there any consideration of our historical emissions?

No, for initial registration it is a firm emission criterion of 5 tons.

However for renewal: the total sum of actual emissions of combined air pollutant emissions for the prior calendar year must be less than or equal to 7 tons, and the total sum of actual emissions from the prior two calendar years must be less than or equal to 10 tons.

(Summed emissions of HAPs, mercury or lead must be less than or equal to 0.5 tons per year, 0.05 tons per year, or 0.05 tons per year, for the prior calendar year, respectively.)

Exceeding ROSS Criteria: Now Need Permit

If I am a ROSS source and I believe my actual emissions will push me out of the program into permits, how long do I have to notify the agency?

Existing sources who previously were covered by a permit must notify the agency within 90 days of their site fee due date that they wish to reinstate their permit and will comply with its terms and/or modify their permit. ROSS sources not previously covered by a permit must apply for a permit 90 days prior to annual site fee renewal.

For more information regarding the ROSS program including links to the rules, visit: www.ienconnect.com/enviro