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Ohio EPA Issues Final Air Permit for Washington County Facility

Ohio EPA has issued a final air permit to Kraton Polymers U.S. LLC to replace two existing coal-fired boilers with two new boilers at Kraton’s Belpre facility. The thermoplastic elastomer manufacturing plant is located at 2419 State Route 618.

Ohio EPA held a public hearing in Belpre on Dec. 19, 2012, about the draft air permit. The purpose of the hearing was to obtain additional information that was considered before Ohio EPA issued the final air permit.

Kraton plans to fire the new boilers with natural gas, distillate oil and naphtha (a flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons that is a byproduct and is generally used as a solvent for various chemical industries). The final air permit establishes emission limitations to ensure that the new boilers will comply with federal and state air pollution control standards, laws and regulations in place to protect public health and the environment.

The permit will allow facility-wide emissions to change. There will be a net emissions increase in carbon monoxide from the boiler replacement project, but net emissions will substantially decrease for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. The allowable air emissions rate for carbon monoxide under the final permit is 163.6 tons per year from both boilers combined. The installation permit will require the facility to implement best available control technologies and comply with stringent hourly carbon monoxide emissions limitations.

The final air permit is available online. Also, arrangements can be made to review and/or copy the permit and related material at Ohio EPA Southeast District Office, 2195 Front St., Logan, by first calling (740) 385-8501.

Issuance of the permit can be appealed to the Environmental Review Appeals Commission (ERAC). Appeals generally must be filed within 30 days of issuing the final action; therefore, Ohio EPA recommends that anyone wishing to file an appeal contact ERAC at (614) 466-8950 for more information.

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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. In the past 40 years, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling. Ohio EPA -- 40 years and moving forward.