EPA v. WARREN STEEL HOLDINGS, LLC

Case summary

Region 5 will enter into a Consent Agreement and Final Order (CAFO) commencing and concluding an action against Warren Steel Holdings LLC (WSH), under Section 113(d) of the Clean Air Act (the Act), 42 U.S.C. § 7413(d). The WSH facility is a steel plant that produces carbon, alloy, or specialty metals and consists of, among other emission units, an electric arc furnace (EAF), a ladle refining furnace (LRF), a fabric filter control device and a control system dust handling system. In the CAFO, EPA alleged that WSH violated Section 111 of the Act, specifically the requirements of the Standards of Performance for Steel Plants: Electric Arc Furnaces and Argon-Oxygen Decarburization Vessels Constructed After August 17, 1983 at 40 C.F.R. § 60.270a et seq. WSH also violated Section 110 of the Act. Specifically, WSH violated the Ohio State Implementation Plan and WSH’s Permit to Install. Under the CAFO, WSH agrees to pay $17,500 in civil penalties; this takes into account WSH’s inability to pay, as calculated by WSH and supported by an EPA model. WSH did not propose a supplemental environmental project. On July 2, 2009, EPA issued a Finding of Violation (FOV) to WSH for failing to comply with NSPS AAa. On February 4, 2010, EPA issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to WSH for failing to comply with WSH’s Permit to Install. This CAFO resolves violations alleged in the FOV and NOV. As a result of the NOV and FOV, Warren Steel completed the following projects: increased efficiency of the baghouse dust handling system; enclosed gaps in the sidewall of the EAF shop; restructured and maximized use of a curtain separating EAF from LRF and the rest of the emission sources within the EAF shop to better capture secondary emissions; modified roof canopy dampers to increase capture efficiency above the EAF; repaired and modified baghouse pressure monitoring devices; and installed overhead doors to completely enclose the EAF shop.

Defendants (1)

• WARREN STEEL HOLDINGS, LLCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• WARREN STEEL HOLDINGS, LLC

  4000 MAHONING AVENUE, N.W., WARREN, OH, 444831968

  Registry ID: 110000389865

Statutes cited

• CAA 111 — New Source Performance Standards
• CAA 110 — Implementation Plan for National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Quality Standards

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• WARREN STEEL HOLDINGS, LLCentered 2012-02-21

  Primary law: CAA

  Federal penalty: $17,500

Timeline (3 milestones)

• 2011-09-30Complaint Filed/Proposed Order
• 2011-10-03Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2012-02-21Final Order Issued