Open Burning
Cars and Other Mobile Sources
Gasoline Pump Vapor Capture
Reformulated Gasolines
Clean Fuels Fleet
Automobile Refinishing Operations
Inland Steel Coke Batteries
Tank Storage of Volatile Organic Compounds
Partners for Clean Air
Regional Emissions Inventory of Toxic Air Contaminants
Indiana's Air Toxics Program
Health-Based Ozone Standards

A variety of control measures have been pursued by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and local private and public entities to address air pollution. Since the mid-1990s, several important measures have been put place in Northwest Indiana. These measures are intended to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), the two main precursors to ozone formation. High ozone is one of the key air pollution issues for Northwest Indiana.⁴⁸


Open Burning

Burning materials so that smoke and other "air contaminants" are emitted directly into the air, without passing through a stack or chimney from an enclosed chamber, is an "open burn."⁴⁹ The Indiana Department of Environmental Management encourages alternatives to open burning, such as sale, reuse, or in the case of yard waste, composting.⁵⁰ Open burning is prohibited except as authorized by statute and rules adopted by the Air Pollution Control Board.⁵¹

There are several exemptions from the open burning prohibition. Open burning may be performed under some circumstances, where a safety or health hazard is not posed. The following are a few examples: Open burning may be used to control onsite vegetation from a farm, orchard, nursery, or along a drainage ditch. Prescribed burning may be performed for wildlife habitat or natural area management by the Department of Natural Resources. Similarly, burning may be performed according to the National Park Service Fire Management Plan for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Law enforcement officials may burn marijuana. An authorization may be granted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to conduct fire training, remove natural growth for a change in land use, or to dispose of highly explosive or other dangerous materials.⁵²

Because ozone levels have been determined to be unsafe in Lake County and Porter County,⁵³ private residential open burning is prohibited in these locations.⁵⁴ One exception is that open burning may be approved by a local unit of government in October through December (after "ozone season" has ended) for rural areas where leaf pickup is unavailable.⁵⁵ Open burning is also prohibited in apartment and condominium complexes and in mobile home parks.⁵⁶


Cars and Other Mobile Sources

Cars and mobile sources are one piece of the air pollution pie. One important strategy for controlling emission from cars and other mobile sources has been the development and implementation of an enhanced vehicle inspection and maintenance program. This strategy does not always achieve enthusiastic public support, as reflected in a 1989 interview with William Ruckelshaus, former Director of the EPA:

Yet the vehicle inspection and maintenance program plays a significant role in providing cleaner air.⁵⁸

Lake County and Porter County have had a vehicle inspection and maintenance program for a number of years. The enhanced vehicle emissions testing program was implemented in January 1997. In general terms, the rules apply to vehicle models 1976 and newer but with several exemptions, including those for heavy duty motor vehicles, motorcycles, farm tractors, recreational vehicles, and motor vehicles powered with diesel fuel.⁵⁹ Additionally, based on testing data, the four most recent model years of automobiles are exempted from the testing requirements.


Gasoline Pump Vapor Capture

The Clean Air Act requires use of Stage II vapor recovery in areas designated as severe non-attainment of the one-hour ozone standard. This control measure requires installation of vapor recovery devices on gasoline pumps at service stations to capture vapors that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere during vehicle refueling. This measure was implemented in Lake County in 1995.


Reformulated Gasolines

Beginning in 1995, only reformulated gasoline can be sold in Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Reformulated gasoline significantly reduces the emissions of volatile organic compounds, as well as emissions from a number of other toxic air pollutants.

Starting in 2002, a newer reformulated gasoline will be required. This gasoline will provide additional pollutant reduction benefits.⁶⁰


Clean Fuels Fleet

Under the 1990 Clean Air Act, Congress required areas that are classified as serious or worse for ozone to implement a clean fuel fleets program. The program, which encourages the use of lower emitting vehicles and clean alternative fuels, requires owners of fleets operating in these areas to buy a certain percentage of "clean fuel" vehicles as part of their new vehicle purchases. The federal program applies to light duty cars and trucks and heavy duty trucks.

EPA defines "clean fuel" vehicles, which typically include vehicles operating on alternative fuels such as natural gas, ethanol, propane and electricity. Gasoline powered vehicles that meet certain emissions standards may also qualify.

Congress intended this program to be in place by the time model year 1998 vehicles would be available. However, production of clean vehicles did not meet this deadline. As a result, EPA delayed implementation by one year. In addition, there are still issues with available infrastructure for servicing and fueling alternative fueled vehicles.

The goals of this program are consistent with other federal programs such as the Clean Cities program which encourages the acquisition or conversion to alternative fueled vehicles.⁶¹


Automobile Refinishing Operations

Painting and preparation work done at body shops are significant sources of volatile organic compounds. Rules have been established limiting VOC content of paint used in body shops or requiring control equipment to capture emissions. The rules became effective in 1996.


Inland Steel Coke Batteries

The coke batteries at Inland Steel have been closed. This action eliminates significant amounts of volatile organic compounds, as well as particulate matter, which in addition to ozone, is a concern in Northwest Indiana.


Tank Storage of Volatile Organic Compounds

Large tanks which are used to store volatile organic liquids can be significant sources of pollution. Evaporated VOCs may escape from tank roofs and seals. Rules prescribe specific standards for the type of roofs and seals and require frequent monitoring of the integrity of the equipment.⁶²


Partners for Clean Air

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the State of Illinois in 1995 began a voluntary summertime ozone reduction program in Northeast Illinois and Northwest Indiana called Partners for Clean Air. Partners for Clean Air is a voluntary coalition of businesses, industries, municipalities, and organizations committed to reducing ozone levels in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago region.

Participation in Indiana Partners for Clean Air is expanding. A recent listing included the following participants:

Purdue University Calumet
Geminus Corp.
Lake County Health Department
Porter County Health Department
Northwest Indiana Forum
Wolf Lake Terminals
East Chicago Public Schools
INDOT
Gary Sanitary District
The Methodist Hospitals, Inc.
City of Hobart
Urschel Laboratories, Inc.
IDEM
Midwest Pipe Coating, Inc.
Bethlehem Steel Corp.
NIPSCO
Keil Chemical Division, Ferro Corp.
Inland Steel
NIRPC
Praxair
Amoco Oil Company
UGIMAG, Inc.
Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers, Inc.
Town of Dyer
Town of Chesterton
City of Whiting
Gary Public Transportation Corp.
American Maize
U.S. Postal Service
School Town of Highland
Town of Merrillville
City of Crown Point
School City of Hammond
City of Hammond
Hammond Lead Products
Tradewinds Rehabilitation Center
Hadady Corporation
LTV Steel
Whiteco Industries
U.S. Steel, Gary Works
Kmart - Valparaiso
LCEOC
Elmwood Cemetary
Rhone-Poulenc
City of Hammond Health Department
Sullair
American National Can
City of LaPorte
Hoosier Environmental Council
Save the Dunes Council
East Chicago Department of Public & Environmental Health
Radio Stations WLOI-WCOE
The Hammond Transit System
Phillips Pipe Line Company
Michiana Industries
ANR Pipe Line Company
The Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce
General American Transportation Corp.
Indiana University Northwest
LaPorte County Health Dept.
NICTD - South Shore Train Line
IV TECH
Envirotest Systems⁶³

A primary goal is to increase awareness about ozone and contributions that citizens and businesses can make to reduce harmful emissions. A comprehensive list of actions that citizens and businesses can take has been developed by IDEM, including the "Top 10 Tips" for reducing ground-level ozone on Ozone Action Days. Other ways in which citizens can help (at home, on the road, and in the workplace) to reduce summertime ozone levels in Northwest Indiana are identified and updated on IDEM's Partners for Clean Air website.

Smog Watch

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management now provides online information concerning ozone levels in Northwest Indiana, including real time monitoring data during the summer ozone season. This information may be accessed through IDEM's Smog Watch website.


Regional Emissions Inventory of Toxic Air Contaminants

The Great Lakes states are working together through the Great Lakes Commission to create regional air toxics emission inventories and a software system for developing and managing regional emission inventories.

The initial inventory effort was the Southwest Lake Michigan Pilot Study. Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin completed this first multi-state inventory of emissions of 49 toxic air pollutants that are identified as being potentially harmful to the Great Lakes ecosystem or human health. Specifically, the states created an inventory of small point and area sources of toxic air emissions from the combined twelve-county urban areas of Chicago, Gary, and Milwaukee.

The second inventory effort focused on emissions estimates for the 49 toxic air pollutants from point and area sources statewide for base year 1993. This effort was completed in 1998. The next phase of the inventory effort has been expanded to include 79 air toxics and mobile sources for calendar year 1996. The 1996 inventory is scheduled for completion in March 1999.

The software being developed is called the Regional Air Pollutant Inventory Development System (RAPIDS). RAPIDS is a multi-state pollutant emissions inventory software and was designed and implemented for the Great Lakes Commission and the eight Great Lakes States. The software has been tested by the states in their development of the Southwest Lake Michigan Urban Areas Air Toxics Emission Inventory and the 1993 emissions inventory. The software is currently being expanded to handle mobile sources for the 1996 inventory effort.

The inventories will assist in the implementation of the Great Lakes Toxic Substances Control Agreement, signed by the Great Lakes governors in 1986. In addition, the inventory work is consistent with the state activities for the implementation of the Urban Area Source Program required under sections 112(c) and 112(k) under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and the assessment of atmospheric deposition to the Great Lakes under the efforts of U.S. EPA's Great Waters Program. The project is being funded by the U.S.EPA and the Great Lakes Protection Fund.⁶⁴


Indiana's Air Toxics Program

The federal air toxics program within the Clean Air Act lists 188 hazardous air pollutants. The Clean Air Act mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency establish technology-based control standards for numerous categories of sources as part of the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs).

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is developing a comprehensive statewide program to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. Incorporation of the NESHAPs and other federal air toxics regulations is part of the program. IDEM has received delegated authority for several NESHAPs and will continue to seek delegation of future federal standards and programs.⁶⁵


Health-Based Ozone Standards

In July 1997, EPA revised the health standard for ozone by lowering the threshold to 85 ppb averaged over eight hours. IDEM is working with the NIRPC Environmental Policy Committee in a forum to discuss air quality issues in Northwest Indiana, and specifically, how to address providing air quality that meets the new air quality standard for ozone. This forum consists of a diverse group of interests and is open to the public.⁶⁶


Indiana Air Permitting Guide

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce in 1998 published, as a joint effort with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, a guidebook to assist Indiana's business community in obtaining "accurate and timely compliance information." The publication⁶⁷ provides ambitious discussions of new source reviews, operating permits, and permit fees. Although the publication has statewide application, items of particular interest to Northwest Indiana business are also included. For example, special regulatory permit emission thresholds for Lake County and Porter County are described from 326 IAC 2-1-1.


Clean Air Testing for Diesel Trucks

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Indiana State Police Motor Carrier Division are conducting a pilot project in Northwest Indiana to test emissions from diesel trucks. The project started in October 1998 and is expected to be completed in 1999.⁶⁸