The referral is based on CAA violations which have occurred and are continuing at ECC's foundry coke plant, which produces coke through the destructive distillation of coal occurring in coke ovens at very high temperatures, located at the foot of East Avenue, Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania (the Facility ). The Facility is owned and operated by ECC.
The violations, of regulations promulgated pursuant to Section 110 of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. Section 7410, were documented by both Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) and EPA inspectors over the last several years. This report describes fully the facts leading to the referral, applicable evidence, and other relevant information.
The Facility comprises two coke oven batteries (sets of conjoined coke ovens) ( COBs ) containing a total of fifty-eight (58) ovens, and associated equipment and processes. Inspectors of EPA Region III and PADEP have documented visible particulate emissions of high opacity emanating from the main combustion stack servicing the two batteries and from the coke pushing operation at the COBs. The emissions observations, made in accordance with EPA Method 9, by inspectors certified to read the opacity of visible emission using that method, establish that emissions at the plant exceed the allowable limits set forth in the federally-enforceable Pennsylvania State Implementation Plan ( SIP ).
Specifically, the excess emissions observed from the combustion stack at the Facilit