PUBLIC NOTICE
 PUGET SOUND CLEAN AIR AGENCY

DRAFT NOTICE OF CONSTRUCTION ORDER OF APPROVAL and AIR OPERATING PERMIT MODIFICATION

Applicant:

Ash Grove Cement Company

3801 E Marginal Way South 

Seattle, WA 98106-1599

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (the Agency) is seeking comments on a draft Notice of Construction (NOC) Order of Approval No. 12003 and draft Modification of the Air Operating Permit for Ash Grove Cement Company (Ash Grove), located at 3801 E Marginal Way South, Seattle, WA 98106-1599. This facility is a major cement manufacturing plant. Facility operations result in releases of volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter.

An Air Operating Permit is a document that combines all air pollution-related requirements for operation and procedures, applicable rules, emission standards, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting.

The draft Air Operating Permit is a modification of the current Ash Grove Cement Company permit that is already in force. Since March 1995, Ash Grove Cement Company has operated a feed system that injects whole tires, referred to as “tire-derived fuel” (TDF), which are commonly used as a fuel in the production of Portland cement. This was reviewed and permitted under the Order of Approval for NOC 5755. The TDF served as a replacement fuel that supplements fossil fuels. The cement kiln at the facility is currently limited to 30% TDF consumption by weight of fuel input on a daily average. Ash Grove previously requested this limit on TDF consumption in order to remain exempt from federal waste combustion regulations, which would have applied if TDF firing exceeded 30%. Since that time, federal waste regulations redefined “solid waste” to no longer include TDF, removing the basis for the 30% limit. NOC 12003 will cancel and supersede NOC 5755, allowing Ash Grove to process more TDF, while still requiring the TDF usage to be tracked and all required pollutants to be monitored.

The Agency has completed a review of application No. 12003. Based on this review, the Agency has made a preliminary determination that the proposal meets all the requirements of Regulations I, II, and III, and draft Order No. 12003 should be approved, subject to the conditions in the proposed Order of Approval.

Copies of the draft Air Operating Permit, proposed Order of Approval, and all supporting materials are available for review below:: 

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Draft Order of Approval

Draft AOP Modification

Draft SOB Modification

Engineer Worksheet

NOC Application

Determination of Non-Significance 5755

Public Notice

These documents are also on file and available for inspection at the Agency’s office located at 1904 Third Avenue, Suite 105, Seattle, Washington, telephone (206) 343-8800.

HOW TO COMMENT

The Agency will accept comments on this permit starting December 10, 2024, until 4:30 PM PST on January 9, 2025. 

Send comments by e-mail to:  PublicComment@pscleanair.gov

Send written comments to:

Air Operating Permit Program
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
1904 Third Ave, Suite 105
Seattle, WA  98101

A public hearing may be held if the Agency determines that there is significant public interest. Requests for a public hearing must be submitted within the comment period. Any such request for a public hearing must indicate the interest of the person or organization filing it, and describe why a hearing is necessary.

This Notice is published pursuant to the Washington State Clean Air Act (Chapter 70A.15 RCW and WAC 173-401-800). The Air Operating Permit is issued pursuant to Chapter 173-401 WAC and Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

Air Operating Permits are also subject to review and approval by US EPA. If a public comment is sent to the Agency for this permit, and the Agency has not addressed the comment in a satisfactory manner, and the EPA has not objected to the proposed permit, then the public may submit a petition requesting that the EPA reconsider the decision not to object. Petitions shall be submitted electronically to US EPA at TitleVPetitions@epa.gov or by mail to US EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Air Quality Policy Division, Operating Permits Group Leader, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr. (C-504-01), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. Petitions shall be submitted within 60 days after the end of the 45-day EPA review period. The EPA review period for this permit starts no earlier than January 10, 2025.

This notice will appear in the following publications on December 10, 2024:

• Daily Journal of Commerce
• Seattle Times

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