Gerdau owns and operates a steel mini-mill in St. Paul, Minnesota. The mill receives recycled automobile bodies and other grades of scrap steel and processes the scrap steel in an auto shredder. A wet scrubber and cyclone control particulate matter (PM) and PM less than 10 microns (PM10) emissions from the auto shredder. Per the Minnesota SIP and the facility's Title V Permit, the facility is required to limit emissions from its auto shredder to less than 20 percent (%) opacity. Additionally, the Minnesota SIP and the facility's Title V Permit require the facility to maintain its auto shredder emission unit and associated controls in proper operating condition to ensure proper control of PM/PM10 emissions.
Specifically, Gerdau failed to:
(1) limit emissions from its auto shredding operations to less than 20% opacity on August 30, 2016, on September 1, 2016, and on November 4, 2016;
(2) maintain the auto shredding emission unit and associated controls in proper operating condition for several days in 2016 and 2017;
(3) operate the control equipment in such a manner as to achieve and maintain compliance with the PM10 emission limit at its auto shredding emission unit for several days in 2016 and 2017; and
(4) properly monitor and maintain operating records of the auto shredding emission unit and associated controls for several days during the period from January 1, 2014 through September 30, 2016.
This CAFO requires Gerdau to pay a penalty of $21,388.50 and to