Michigan, Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy issued the following announcement on Dec. 18.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) approved an air permit for a scrap metal recycling operation at Louis Padnos Iron and Metal in Howell.
The approved permit included changes responsive to public comments requesting verification of emissions and adding testing conditions to the permit.
Several requirements were added such as more frequent testing for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds as well as other pollutants. Instead of the one-time test originally proposed, Padnos will have to test for the pollutants once every five years under its approved air permit until certain conditions are met.
The community also had concerns about smoke and dust from the facility. The revised permit includes the requirement that Padnos do more frequent opacity checks than proposed and to quickly correct any problems. Opacity is a measurement of the thickness of any dust or smoke coming from the operations.
The approved permit also includes conditions, based on comments from the public, about how allowed emissions were calculated for lead and why testing for lead and hexavalent chromium were not included in the permit. Changes to the permit include an emission limit for lead and required testing for lead and hexavalent chrome.
In deciding whether to approve the air permit, EGLE sought public input during a six-week comment period that included an information session and public hearing.
Although the air permit has been approved, Padnos must still apply for and obtain any other necessary permits and permissions before installing and operating any new scrap metal recycling equipment.
Information on the final permit, including responses to public comments, can be found on EGLE’s Air Quality Division webpage under Public Notice - NSR Permits Final Decisions.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Michigan, Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy
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