The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the Tonawanda Coke Corp. (TCC) to find and fix deficiencies in its operation of the coke manufacturing facility in Tonawanda, N.Y.
EPA is also requiring TCC to explain two incidents that took place at the facility in 2009 and 2010, apparently due to power and equipment failures. During the two incidents, coke oven gas was sent to a flare instead of being treated in the facility. Coke oven gas contains hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and other regulated substances. Under the EPA order, the company must determine how and why the equipment failed, fix the problems, and take steps to prevent them from happening again.
In a separate action, TCC has been cited for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act by exceeding its emission limit for opacity, which is the amount of light obscured by particulate matter such as smoke, dust, and ash.
These enforcement actions are part of EPA’s comprehensive ongoing approach at TCC.
“Our ongoing investigation of TCC, coupled with the recent equipment failures at the facility, highlight the importance of preparing for, preventing, and responding quickly to chemical releases in our communities,” said Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “This provision of the Clean Air Act is only used when there is serious risk of accidental releases because a facility is poorly operated. It is imperative that business and industry do their part to protect human health and the environment. TCC has a legal obligation to operate in compliance with environmental laws and to be prepared for incidents. The residents of the community and workers at the facility deserve nothing less.”
On March 31, 2010, TCC informed EPA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) that the electric motor powering an exhauster, a device that channels coke oven gas from the facility’s coke ovens to the byproducts recovery area for treatment, had failed, causing the equipment to malfunction. The company says it switched to the back-up exhauster, but it also failed. Because the exhausters were not available, the company flared the raw coke oven gas from the facility’s battery of coke ovens.
The company also reported that another exhauster failure had taken place due to a power failure on March 17, 2009. TCC has since taken some steps to repair the malfunctioning equipment.
TCC must investigate what caused the incidents, evaluate facility operations related to the incidents, and report its findings to EPA for review. These activities must be conducted by a professional engineer, who is approved by EPA prior to beginning work. Once EPA reviews and evaluates the report, TCC must document that the recommendations, repairs, and improvements noted in the report are implemented at the facility.