GRAND RIVER DAM AUTHORITY ( GRDA ), AN AGENCY OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA, RECEIVED APPROVAL TO CONSTRUCT A 520-MEGWATT, COAL-FIRED ELECTRIC GENERATING UNIT ON APRIL 9, 1982. THE UNIT, KNOWN AS UNIT 2, IS LOCATED AT GRDA'S CHOUTEAU, OKLAHOMA SITE. DURING THE CONTRACTOR'S GURANTEED PERFORM- ANCE TESTING OF UNIT 2 IN AUGUST 1986, THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH HIGH SPEED JOURNAL BEARING IN THE ATOMIZER MACHINES IN THE FUEL GAS DESALFURIZATION SYSTEM ( FGDS ). ACCORDING TO GRDA, SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMTS WERE MADE TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE CONTRACTOR CONCLUDED THAT ALL ATOM- IZER MACHINES IN THE FGDS WERE ON THE VERGE OF CATACLYSMIC FAILURE AND THAT ALL THE ATOMIZER MACHINE WOULD HAVE TO BE C COMPLETELY REBUILT. THE EFFORT REQUIRED THAT FGDS BE SHUT- DOWN. GRDA REQUESTED A VARIENCE FOR SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSION FROM OKLAHOMA AIR QUILITY SERVICE ( OAQS ) THAT WOULD PERMIT UNIT 2 TO OPERATE WHILE THE FGDS WAS SHUT-DOWN. ON DECEMBER 1,1986, THE OKLAHOMA AIR QUILTY SERVICE ( OAQS ) APPROVED A CONSENT ORDER FOR GRDA WHICH PERMITTED GRDA TO OPERATE UNIT 2 AT FULL CAPACITY WITH THE FGDS OUT OF SERVICE AND PLACED GRDA ON A COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE. GRDA OPERATED UNIT 2 FROM DECEMBER 2,1986 THROUGH DECEMBER 17, 1986 AND FROM DECEMBER 27,1986 THROUGH FEBRUARY 20,1987, WITHOUT A FULLY OPERATIONAL FGDS. AT THOSE TIMES WHEN GRDA OPERATED UNIT 2 WITHOUT A FULLY OPERATIONAL FGDS, IT VIOLATED 40 C.