FABRIC
FILTER
NEWSLETTER
January, 2021
No. 543
MARKETS
Huge Changes in the Filter and Filter Media Markets
IRON AND STEEL
Severstal Completes Construction of Environmental Facilities for a New Blast Furnace
Tosyali Orders EAF Quantum electric arc furnace, secondary metallurgy and Continuous Slab Caster from Primetals Technologies
Severstal Launches Pioneering Lower Emissions Coke Battery to Improve Efficiency and Boost Production
WASTE TO ENERGY
MHIEC Receives
Order to Construct Waste-to-Energy Plant with Capacity of 230 tonnes per day in
Kamisu City of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
NANOFIBERS
Nanofiber Filter Media Increases the Efficiency and Life Span of Dust Collection
and Fume Extraction Systems
COMPANY NEWS
Black & Veatch Launches
New Environmental Business Unit
AECOM
Completes Sale of its Civil Construction Business
REGULATIONS
Revised Cross State Air Pollution Rule Update for Ozone NAAQS
Consent
Decree Filled Against Glass Manufacturing Facility
MARKETS
Any forecasts for filter and filter media revenues are likely to be outdated
within months. The reason is that major changes are taking place in the industry
at an unprecedented rate. Drivers include:
·
The coronavirus pandemic
·
Wildfires, drought, and global warming
·
Nationalism replacing international cooperation and trade
·
New fibers and media
·
Opportunities in gas phase removal for particulate filters
·
Process and safety justification of higher filtration efficiency
·
Water reuse
·
The campaign to eliminate coal fired power generators
·
Cost of recovery of oil from shale
·
Single use systems for biopharmaceuticals
There is presently a shortage of MERV 13 filters as buildings try to comply with
COVID regulations. The MERV 13 media can also be used in many other
applications. Meltblowns, nanofibers, other non-wovens and membranes are all
competing options in a number of gas and liquid applications.
This graph prepared a few months ago may be made obsolete due to a safe bubble
initiative which could result in billions of people wearing highly efficient
masks. This would make the short term mask market the largest segment in the
history of filtration.
There is the possibility to actually suck the CO2 out of the air using the Drax
concept and possibly even shale fracturing with CO2 generated from biomass
combustion.
A new class of inexpensive ambient air and liquid monitors allows measurement of
individual toxic elements such as cadmium. This in turn drives the market for
more efficient filters to eliminate these elements in the environment.
There are major changes in geographical activity as well as market shares for
the suppliers and end users. Who would have predicted the problems of GE and
ExxonMobil or the rise of Sinopec who in just eight weeks became one of the
world’s largest meltblown suppliers.
Suppliers of filters and media are challenged to identify the low hanging fruit
which needs to be immediately picked but also the high insect free fruit which
ultimately result in the largest profits.
McIlvaine has a way to clear the fog and obtain the latest insights on the
market. An hour long webinar shows participants the size of any of the markets
they select.
This is accompanied by an explanation of the geographical, process, and
regulatory drivers. Discussion among participants is also encouraged
The cost of the webinar is offset by discounts when any of the market reports
are purchased within the following 90 days.
For more information on the webinars contact Bob McIlvaine at rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
or 847 226 2391
Information on specific market reports is displayed under markets at www.mcilvainecompany.com
IRON AND STEEL
Severstal Completes Construction of Environmental Facilities for a New Blast
Furnace
PAO Severstal, one of the world's leading vertically integrated steel and mining
companies, has completed the construction of environmental facilities for blast
furnace No. 3.
The modernization of blast furnace No. 3 will mitigate the
environmental impact of pig iron production throughout the production chain
through use of the best available technologies.
The main environmental advantage of the dust and gas capture
facilities is the aspiration system and gas cleaning system. The aspiration
system cleans the air from the dust of workplaces and technological operations.
The gas cleaning system cleans the blast furnace gas.
The main operational activities during which pollutants are released
into the atmosphere from blast furnace No. 3 are the preparation and dosing of
charge materials, loading the charge into blast furnaces, and operating the cast
house. By covering dust and gas formation sites, the aspiration suction system,
featuring control and shut-off valves, extracts contaminated air and gas for
cleaning.
The aspiration valves are automatic. The process is organized from
the places of discharge of cast iron and slag, using a skimmer and side suction
from the tap holes, which are covered. As the release of fusion products is
carried out simultaneously from just one tap hole, suction is cut off from the
other notches. The operating mode of the valves is synchronized with that of the
casting equipment.
To prevent emissions of pollutants when loading materials into the
furnace (through a cone less loading device), emissions from the loading device
are suppressed using compressed nitrogen, which is used to blow dirty gas from
the blast furnace under the furnace top. Dusty air from the intake chamber of
the cone less loading device will be directed to the collector at the new
central exhaust station (CVS).
Cleaning the aspiration air from dust will be carried out by bag
filters. The filter consists of 1056 bags, each 10 m long. The particular bag
filters procured by Severstal are characterized by their compactness and large
filtration area, which enables them to work effectively in cramped conditions.
Residual dust content of the air is below 8 mg / m3, which will be
released through an 80 m chimney. Severstal invested 850 million rubles in the
aspiration system, amounting to 2.5% of the total blast furnace No. 3
modernization costs.
Cleaning the gas from the blast furnace comprises two stages of cleaning - dry
and wet. The cleaning process, which is 99.99% effective, involves dry cleaning
the blast furnace gas in a cyclone-style dust collector and a scrubber with an
adjustable gap and a drop collector designed by Paul Wurth. The dust caught in
the dust collectors is then transferred to the sintering plant for disposal.
Before unloading the dust collectors, the dust is first moistened to prevent
dust emissions.
Gas from the blast furnace fuels the air heaters, which provide the blast
furnace with hot blast. The cost of construction of the gas treatment plant
according to the project is 1,083 million rubles, 3.3% of the project’s total
investment.
Water is supplied to blast furnace No. 3 through the closed-loop water
circulation system. With the launch of blast furnace No. 3, there is no increase
to the consumption of household and stormwater wastewater entering the household
and industrial waste systems. There are no direct discharges from the blast
furnace No. 3 complex into water bodies.
The project also features a waste management scheme. Almost all waste (99.99%)
is utilized in production, with the remainder transferred for disposal at
Severstal’s industrial waste landfill facility.
Tosyali Orders EAF Quantum electric arc furnace, secondary metallurgy and
Continuous Slab Caster from Primetals Technologies
Turkish steel producer Tosyali Demir Celik Sanayi A.S. has placed an order with
Primetals Technologies to supply an EAF Quantum electric arc furnace, a twin
vacuum-degassing plant with oxygen blowing and a two-strand slab caster for a
flat steel greenfield project in Iskenderun, Turkey.
The EAF Quantum is designed to handle metallic scrap and virgin materials such
as HBI, pig iron in different composition and quality. The electrical energy
requirement of the electric arc furnace is extremely low, mainly thanks to the
scrap preheating system, but also due to many other features of EAF Quantum
technology, such as FAST Tapping system, continuous foaming slag and continuous
submerged electric arc (Flat bath operation). This reduces both the operating
costs and the CO2 emissions.
The EAF Quantum is highly productive furnace that will reach lowest of possible
power off times. The twin vacuum-degassing plant provides further treatment and
steel quality to the production portfolio of Tosyali Demir Celik. With oxygen
blowing possibility Tosyali Demir Celik steel plant will be ready to produce
steel grades starting from ULC grades up to high carbon grades, peritectic
grades, API grades, dual phase grades and also high strength low alloyed steel
grades.
The plant will be equipped with TPQC (Through-Process Quality Control) and is
thus ready of Industry 4.0. Two-strand continuous slab caster provides a
capacity of two million metric tons of slabs per year, to be increased to 3.4
million tons, and is able to process a wide range of steel grades. The new
meltshop is scheduled to be commissioned in by the end of 2022.
Tosyali Holding decided to set up a new greenfield facility in Iskenderun, Hatay
Province. For the first phase of this new meltshop project, Primetals
Technologies will supply a 150-ton EAF Quantum and a 150-ton twin vacuum
oxygen-blowing degassing plant. The scope encompasses the complete mechanical
and electrical process equipment and the automation technology. This includes
the automated scrap yard management, the automated charging process, automation
of the oxygen injection and sand refilling, as well as the Level 2 automation.
The EAF Quantum developed by Primetals Technologies combines proven elements of
shaft furnace technology with an innovative scrap charging process, an efficient
preheating system, a new tilting concept for the lower shell, and an optimized
tapping system. This all adds up to very short melting cycles. The electricity
consumption is considerably lower than that of a conventional electric arc
furnace. Together with the lower consumption of electrodes and oxygen, this
gives an overall advantage in the specific conversion cost of around 20 percent.
In comparison to conventional electric arc furnaces, total CO2 emissions can
also be reduced by up to 30 percent per metric ton of crude steel.
An integrated dedusting system with modern automatic off gas control fulfills
all environmental requirements. The slab caster has a rated capacity of two
million tons of slabs per year, which may be extended to 3.4 million tons per
year. Its machine radius is ten meters. The caster produces slabs with a
thickness of 225 millimeters in widths ranging from 900 to 1,800 millimeters.
Severstal Launches Pioneering Lower Emissions Coke Battery to Improve Efficiency
and Boost Production
PAO Severstal, one of the
world's largest vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has launched
coke battery No. 11, a new unit using coal charge ramming technology, at the
Cherepovets Steel Mill. The capacity of the first block is 700 thousand tonnes
of products per year. The new unit will increase coke production to meet
increasing cast iron output and, consequently, higher steel production volumes.
Severstal is the first steel company in Russia to apply the innovative
developments of PAUL WURTH (Luxembourg) in the construction of a coke battery.
Modern solutions enable the quality of the coke to be maintained, even when
using raw materials with lower quality and cost. A key component of coke battery
No. 11 is a ramming loading and ejecting machine (TZVM). This machine, when
operating with the correct charge and required characteristics, provides the
ramming capability.
The quality of the coke will be assured, amongst other things, by a special dry
coke quenching unit. The technology guarantees high fuel quality for blast
furnaces since it involves additional calcination and stabilization of the
entire coke volume. The USTK unit ensures the absence of moisture, undesirable
in the process of blast furnace melting, and increases the cold strength.
In a first for the Russian steel industry, all the unit’s
machines are fully automated. For example, the software module creates a signal
when the door of the coke pusher can be removed, eliminating the human factor
and optimizing staff efficiency. The minimum service life of the coke battery is
40 years.
The environmental advantage of the project is crucial; the
system of dust-free delivery of coke from the chamber will provide air quality
of up to 10 mg/m3 - the level of the cleanest steel enterprises in the world.
The battery complex is equipped with smoke-free loading systems for coke
batteries. The design of the furnaces will allow the coke battery to operate
with virtually no unplanned releases of gas emissions. As a result of these
measures, the specific emissions from the coke battery No. 11 complex will be
20% lower compared to the total specific emissions of coke oven batteries No.
7-10.
The coke battery No. 11 project involves the construction of
two blocks, each consisting of 56 furnaces. The unit’s total capacity will be
1.4 million tonnes per year. Construction work for the second battery block has
already commenced on-site, with the launch scheduled for 2021.
WASTE TO ENERGY
MHIEC Receives
Order to Construct Waste-to-Energy Plant with Capacity of 230 tonnes per day in
Kamisu City of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a part of
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has formally concluded a contract with
the Kashima Regional Administration Association in Ibaraki Prefecture
(comprising the cities of Kashima and Kamisu) to design and build a combustible
waste management facility planned for construction in Kamisu city. The project
to consolidate and replace two existing superannuated facilities was tendered as
an open call for proposals, and after review MHIEC was selected to execute
engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) as a single main contractor.
The contract is valued at 13,588 million Japanese yen, with completion scheduled
for the end of the March 2024.
The new facility in Towada, Kamisu city will be an energy recovery-type waste
management facility equipped with two stoker type incinerators (Note1), each
with waste treatment capacity of 115 tonnes per day (tpd), providing power
generating efficiency from the burning of combustible waste of greater than
16.5%. Since the construction site is in an exclusive industrial district
surrounded by numerous companies, MHIEC will utilize its accumulated know-how to
install compact facilities that effectively utilize the narrow site area in a
three-dimensional manner, and take steps to control and prevent noise,
vibration, and dust.
The Kashima Regional Administration Association was established in 1999 with the
addition of responsibility for the administration of refuse-derived fuel (RDF)
facilities to the former Municipal Kashima Regional Wholesale Market
Association. The Association currently handles the establishment and operation
of RDF facilities, construction of combustible municipal solid waste (MSW)
facilities, and firefighting services for the cities of Kashima and Kamisu. This
new facility will replace the RDF facilities in each of the two municipalities,
and allow for integrated incineration of combustible waste, and energy recovery.
NANOFIBERS
Nanofiber Filter Media Increases the Efficiency and Life Span of Dust Collection
and Fume Extraction Systems
The Nederman website explains blended paper media have been used in industrial
dust collection and fume extraction systems for decades. Made up of cellulose
(80-85%) and polyester (15-20%), they collect particles in a variety of dust,
fume and/or smoke generating applications, such as metalworking, welding, plasma
cutting and laser cutting. With the advancement and availability of nanofiber
technology, these filters are now able to collect more – and smaller – particles
than ever before, while at the same time lasting longer, using less fan and
compressed air energy, and requiring less maintenance than their predecessors.
Nanofiber itself is a synthetic polymer fiber, typically smaller than 200 micron
and commonly found smaller than 100 microns, that is applied through a spraying
process to the top of a filter media to enhance its filtration properties,
provide higher efficiency, and improve cleanability. When viewed through a
high power microscope, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), you can
clearly see a layer of very fine fibers that create what looks like a super fine
screen sitting on top of the carrier media or substrate
The advantages of surface loading the collected dust are
many. Using nanofibers as the way to surface load dust may be the best
option for your dust collection need.
COMPANY NEWS
Black & Veatch Launches
New Environmental Business Unit
As enterprises thoughtfully work to meet environmental objectives from
regulators, shareholders and consumers, Black & Veatch announces the launch of a
dedicated environmental business unit to support those objectives.
Black & Veatch’s centralization of its environmental services offerings comes as
the world gets more complicated and companies, utilities and governments
navigate operational challenges linked to regulatory hurdles and a rising tide
of ambitious sustainability commitments, requiring new levels of innovation and
expertise that deliver timely solutions. A business or project increasingly must
account for environmental concerns, with regulations, finances and consumers
often driving those considerations. When those forces intersect, the “right”
environmental answer no longer is as clear as when the goal was simply
regulatory adherence.
As a newly chartered, dedicated Black & Veatch business unit, the environmental
team brings together dedicated scientists, consultants, and specialized
ecological compliance and permitting experts capable of providing direct service
to clients of various scale. Drawing upon the skills of nearly 10,000 Black &
Veatch professionals worldwide, the team will pursue emerging opportunities in
environmental consulting and environmental science services, in addition to an
expanded array of traditional permitting, site inspection, air quality and noise
capability solutions. By transitioning to the new organization, the team will
focus its deep knowledge on helping stakeholders overcome complexities and
reduce program costs.
Black & Veatch offers more than 80 environmental services across several
prominent disciplines, including air quality, site remediation, management,
compliance, science, and other transformational areas. Solving problems in a
rapidly accelerating market, the team will provide trusted guidance on such
matters as climate change, earth sciences, and environmental management and
compliance, bolstering a client’s risk assessments, resiliency planning,
sustainable development, air quality, water security, crisis management and
emergency planning.
“The establishment of this new business unit allows us to accelerate progress on
our strategic priorities and lead change with our clients, helping them achieve
their environmental goals,” said Steve Edwards, Black & Veatch’s CEO.
“Environmental services support our commitment to a sustainable future, and with
the needs and efforts around the globe accelerating, this will help us continue
to be the most innovative and rapidly evolving company in the engineering and
construction space.”
“From regulatory permitting challenges to community impacts and sustainability
concerns, companies and projects large and small must navigate ever-evolving
environmental considerations or face the prospect of delays, work stoppages or
cancellation,” added Lisa Fewins, the environmental business unit’s managing
director. “With decades of environmental services experience, Black & Veatch
works with our clients to develop and execute thoughtful, effective approaches
that minimize reputational and business risks.”
Ranked 14th on the Engineering News-Record ’s latest list of top environmental
firms, Black & Veatch has provided environmental solutions since its inception
in 1915 and has become an industry leader in emerging topics such as the
development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and renewable energy
solutions involving solar and wind energy. The company also is helping advance
sustainability and environmental goals for mining companies, data center
providers and many more industries.
“With our unique expertise forged by more than a century of solving the world’s
biggest and most complex infrastructure problems, we’re ready to roll up our
sleeves and marshal the trusted, high-level thinking that helps clients achieve
their customized and pressing project execution goals,” said Dave Johnson, the
environmental business unit’s development leader.
Reflecting the company’s own commitment to sustainability, Black & Veatch
announced in November that it is strengthening its sustainability vision with
new pledges that align with the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and
global best practices by addressing a range of environmental and business
practices. Those include goals addressing carbon neutrality by 2025, water
usage, diversity and inclusion, anti-corruption and more.
Separately, the company also recently announced that it is ending its
participation in coal-based power design and construction to focus on clean
energy technologies and helping clients accelerate their path to net zero.
AECOM
Completes Sale of its Civil Construction Business
AECOM announced the successful completion of its sale of the Civil construction
business to affiliates of Oroco Capital, a strategic infrastructure investor.
Including the sale of the Power construction business in October, the company
has now exited substantially all of its self-perform, at-risk construction
businesses.
AECOM also announced that it has executed nearly $150 million of share
repurchases since its fourth quarter fiscal 2020 earnings announcement on
November 16, 2020. Since September 2020, the company has executed more than $600
million of share repurchases. As a result, diluted shares outstanding has been
reduced by approximately 8%. The company has approximately $850 million of
repurchase capacity remaining under its existing $1 billion Board authorization.
“The completion of the sale of the Civil construction business marks a
significant milestone in the transformation of our business profile to best
position AECOM for long-term success,” said Troy Rudd, AECOM’s chief executive
officer. “As global leaders in the infrastructure, environment, and water
markets, we are poised to capitalize on our clients’ increasing demand for our
consulting services to transform cities, achieve bold ESG ambitions and better
the communities we serve. With the progress we have made on our key strategic
priorities, our advancement of our Think and Act Globally strategy to drive
growth and the momentum in the business, we remain committed to repurchasing
shares in order to fully capitalize on the value creation opportunity.”
REGULATIONS
Revised Cross State Air Pollution Rule Update for Ozone NAAQS
Congress addressed the issue of interstate transport of air pollution in the
Clean Air Act by enacting a “Good Neighbor Provision.” That provision requires
upwind states to eliminate their contributions to air pollution in downwind
states. EPA has promulgated various rules to implement the Good Neighbor
Provision, beginning with the NOx Budget Trading Program and
including the Clean Air Interstate Rule and, most recently, the Cross-State Air
Pollution Rule (CSAPR). These rulemakings address the interstate transportation
of ozone. CSAPR is updated regularly to align with the current ozone National
Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). In response to various legal challenges
and to update CSAPR with respect to the 2008 ozone NAAQS, EPA amended CSAPR in
2016. In 2019, the D.C. Circuit in Wisconsin v. EPA found that EPA’s
2016 amendment only partially addressed downwind contributions from upwind
states. Because upwind states were continuing to contribute to the inability of
downwind states with moderate nonattainment areas to meet the July 2018
attainment date for the 2008 ozone NAAQS, the D.C. Circuit remanded the
rulemaking and required EPA to revisit required reductions of upwind
contributors.
In response to the D.C. Circuit’s order, EPA recently published its proposed
Revised Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Update for the 2008 ozone NAAQS (the
Proposed Rule). Unlike past iterations of CSAPR, the Proposed Rule prescribes
emissions reductions that are likely to significantly impact electric generation
unit (EGU) operation, electricity costs, and may affect non-EGUs. Comments were
due on December 14, 2020. The proposal drew a large array of commenters, from
the usual suspects (eNGOs and consortiums of EGUs) to states, trade
associations, and companies representing non-EGU interests, such as the American
Chemistry Council, the American Petroleum Institute, the Portland Cement
Association, and the American Forest and Paper Association.
Proposed Rule Summary
The Proposed Rule addresses the contributions of upwind
states to downwind state ozone attainment of the 2008 NAAQS of 75 ppb. Notably,
this rulemaking does not address possible future adjustments that may result
from the final 2015 ozone NAAQS, which has a lower attainment benchmark of 70
ppb. The Proposed Rule dictates NOx reductions exclusively from EGUs. However,
it contemplates contributions from non-EGU sources because it requested comment
on information gaps and the cost and ability of non-EGUs to employ certain NOx reduction
technologies. EPA has a court-ordered deadline of March 15, 2021 for final rule
signature.
The Proposed Rule seeks to implement
the requirements ordered by the court. It proposes substantial NOx seasonal
emission reductions for EGUs in 12 states beginning in the 2021 ozone season
through 2024. These upwind states are Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West
Virginia. EPA found that 10 states that previously were determined to be
“upwind” are no longer linked to downwind receptors. EPA identified the 12
upwind states because those states’ projected 2021 emissions contribute at or
above a threshold of 1% of the 75 ppb NAAQS to the identified nonattainment
and/or maintenance problems in downwind states. Seasonal NOx budget reduction
amounts and timelines are based on existing controls on EGUs, such as existing
selective catalytic / noncatalytic reduction (SCR/SNCR) controls and
installation or upgrade of low NOx burners and SCRs/SNCRs.
The Proposed Rule also imposes a one-time conversion of allowances banked
between 2017 and 2020 from the Group 2 to the Group 3 Trading Program. The
conversion is set to occur no later than 180 days after publication of the Final
Rule, which is anticipated prior to the 2021 Ozone Season that begins on May 1,
2021. Data analysis from third party sources suggests that the banked emissions
reductions will be at least 7:1.
Williams Mullen has provided answers to questions generated by this proposal.
1. Could the Final Rule require non-EGUs to reduce NOx emissions? EPA
concluded that emissions reductions at non-EGUs were too expensive versus
options for EGUs. EPA solicited comment on the cost and feasibility of emissions
reductions. Non-EGU trade associations responded with support for no non-EGU
emissions reductions, arguing that reductions would be too expensive. It is
uncertain if EPA will agree.
2. Current unit emissions budgets are aggressive and are unprecedented. Coal
units are likely to be forced to operate less during the ozone season.
Calculations of the emissions budgets show that higher NOx emitters,
even those with SCRs, will not have enough allowances to operate at higher
capacity factors if called upon by regional transmission organizations.
3. The Proposed Rule calls for erosion of allowance bank cushions that could be
a fallback should a hot summer require additional generation. EGUs that have
been low NOx emitters have been allowed to bank allowances. Those
banks will be reduced, removing the incentives these units earned by installing
and using SCRs and SNCRs. With less in the banks, units will not have any
cushion should a hot summer require additional run-time.
4. Coal units will be held at lower capacity factors due to the state budgets
based on 2019 and the five-year unit allocation baseline (2015-2019) used by
EPA. Coal units have been dispatched less frequently in the last five years due
to less expensive natural gas prices. EPA’s methodology holds coal units to past
utilization rates by decreasing state budgets and determining unit allocations
using low-emitting baseline years. As a result, the Proposed Rule caps coal
fleet generation even though future demand and economics (pricing changes) may
otherwise dispatch these units in the future.
5. The Proposed Rule has a bias against small generation systems that do not
have the option of generation shifting. With allowance budgets so tight, EGUs
with large generation systems will survive better than EGUs that own fewer
assets. Large systems can dispatch lower NOx emitters when emissions
from coal-fired assets begin to eclipse budgets. In contrast, many systems
serving rural communities are served by municipalities and electric cooperatives
that do not own many EGUs. Without options, smaller system owners will likely be
forced to purchase power if owned assets exceed CSAPR budgets. These costs will
be passed along to customers.
6. The Proposed Rule removes allowances from retired units but does not let
EGUs make up that generation formerly supplied by those units. When units
retire, their allocations will sunset from the state budget. The result is a
decreasing state budget, although customer demand will not decrease. It is
unclear how the lost generation can be made up if the state budget does not
allow for allocations to be re-distributed.
The Final Rule is likely to have a substantial impact on EGU generation in the
12 upwind states beginning in May 2021. EGUs and non-EGUs will be tracking the
outcome of the rulemaking in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile EPA will have
the tall task of wading through the 86 public comments, developing the final
rule, obtaining OMB approval, and finalizing the rule in only four months.
On January 14, 2021, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed consent decree
with the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
in United States v. Pilkington North America, Inc.
The United States filed a complaint under Clean Air Act (CAA) seeking
injunctive relief for the Defendant's alleged failure to (1) obtain appropriate
permits before modifying and subsequently operating Furnace No. 1 at its glass
manufacturing facility in Laurinburg, North Carolina, and (2) install and employ
the best available control technology (BACT) to control emissions of nitrogen
oxides (NOX), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM) from Furnace No.
1, as required by the CAA. The United States simultaneously lodged a consent
decree that would settle the claims in the complaint.
Under the proposed decree, the
Defendant will have to (1) install equipment on Furnace No. 1 to control
emissions of NOX, SO2, and PM from the furnace; (2) install equipment on Furnace
No. 1 to continuously monitor NOX and SO2 emissions from the furnace and perform
annual stack tests to monitor PM emissions from the furnace; (3) meet interim
and final limits for emissions of NOX, SO2, and PM from Furnace No. 1;(4)
incorporate certain requirements of the decree into a permit; and (5) perform a
project to mitigate excess PM emissions from the Laurinburg facility.