§ 63.306 - Work practice standards.

§ 63.306 Work practice standards.

(a) Work practice plan. On or before November 15, 1993, each owner or operator shall prepare and submit a written emission control work practice plan for each coke oven battery. The plan shall be designed to achieve compliance with visible emission limitations for coke oven doors, topside port lids, offtake systems, and charging operations under this subpart, or, for a coke oven battery not subject to visible emission limitations under this subpart, other federally enforceable visible emission limitations for these emission points.

(1) The work practice plan must address each of the topics specified in paragraph (b) of this section in sufficient detail and with sufficient specificity to allow the reviewing authority to evaluate the plan for completeness and enforceability.

(2) The initial plan and any revisions shall be submitted to the Administrator or the delegated State, local, or Tribal authority. The Administrator (or delegated State, local, or Tribal authority) may require revisions to the initial plan only where the Administrator (or delegated State, local, or Tribal authority) finds either that the plan does not address each subject area listed in paragraph (b) of this section for each emission point subject to a visible emission standard under this subpart, or that the plan in unenforceable because it contains requirements that are unclear.

(3) During any period of time that an owner or operator is required to implement the provisions of a plan for a particular emission point, the failure to implement one or more obligations under the plan and/or any recordkeeping requirement(s) under § 63.311(f)(4) for the emission point during a particular day is a single violation.

(b) Plan components. The owner or operator shall organize the work practice plan to indicate clearly which parts of the plan pertain to each emission point subject to visible emission standards under this subpart. Each of the following provisions, at a minimum, shall be addressed in the plan:

(1) An initial and refresher training program for all coke plant operating personnel with responsibilities that impact emissions, including contractors, in job requirements related to emission control and the requirements of this subpart, including work practice requirements. Contractors with responsibilities that impact emission control may be trained by the owner or operator or by qualified contractor personnel; however, the owner or operator shall ensure that the contractor training program complies with the requirements of this section. The training program in the plan must include:

(i) A list, by job title, of all personnel that are required to be trained and the emission point(s) associated with each job title;

(ii) An outline of the subjects to be covered in the initial and refresher training for each group of personnel;

(iii) A description of the training method(s) that will be used (e.g., lecture, video tape);

(iv) A statement of the duration of initial training and the duration and frequency of refresher training;

(v) A description of the methods to be used at the completion of initial or refresher training to demonstrate and document successful completion of the initial and refresher training; and

(vi) A description of the procedure to be used to document performance of plan requirements pertaining to daily operation of the coke oven battery and its emission control equipment, including a copy of the form to be used, if applicable, as required under the plan provisions implementing paragraph (b)(7) of this section.

(2) Procedures for controlling emissions from coke oven doors on by-product coke oven batteries, including:

(i) A program for the inspection, adjustment, repair, and replacement of coke oven doors and jambs, and any other equipment for controlling emissions from coke oven doors, including a defined frequency of inspections, the method to be used to evaluate conformance with operating specifications for each type of equipment, and the method to be used to audit the effectiveness of the inspection and repair program for preventing exceedances;

(ii) Procedures for identifying leaks that indicate a failure of the emissions control equipment to function properly, including a clearly defined chain of command for communicating information on leaks and procedures for corrective action;

(iii) Procedures for cleaning all sealing surfaces of each door and jamb, including identification of the equipment that will be used and a specified schedule or frequency for the cleaning of sealing surfaces;

(iv) For batteries equipped with self-sealing doors, procedures for use of supplemental gasketing and luting materials, if the owner or operator elects to use such procedures as part of the program to prevent exceedances;

(v) For batteries equipped with hand-luted doors, procedures for luting and reluting, as necessary to prevent exceedances;

(vi) Procedures for maintaining an adequate inventory of the number of spare coke oven doors and jambs located onsite; and

(vii) Procedures for monitoring and controlling collecting main back pressure, including corrective action if pressure control problems occur.

(3) Procedures for controlling emissions from charging operations on by-product coke oven batteries, including:

(i) Procedures for equipment inspection, including the frequency of inspections, and replacement or repair of equipment for controlling emissions from charging, the method to be used to evaluate conformance with operating specifications for each type of equipment, and the method to be used to audit the effectiveness of the inspection and repair program for preventing exceedances;

(ii) Procedures for ensuring that the larry car hoppers are filled properly with coal;

(iii) Procedures for the alignment of the larry car over the oven to be charged;

(iv) Procedures for filling the oven (e.g., procedures for staged or sequential charging);

(v) Procedures for ensuring that the coal is leveled properly in the oven; and

(vi) Procedures and schedules for inspection and cleaning of offtake systems (including standpipes, standpipe caps, goosenecks, dampers, and mains), oven roofs, charging holes, topside port lids, the steam supply system, and liquor sprays.

(4) Procedures for controlling emissions from topside port lids on by-product coke oven batteries, including:

(i) Procedures for equipment inspection and replacement or repair of topside port lids and port lid mating and sealing surfaces, including the frequency of inspections, the method to be used to evaluate conformance with operating specifications for each type of equipment, and the method to be used to audit the effectiveness of the inspection and repair program for preventing exceedances; and

(ii) Procedures for sealing topside port lids after charging, for identifying topside port lids that leak, and procedures for resealing.

(5) Procedures for controlling emissions from offtake system(s) on by-product coke oven batteries, including:

(i) Procedures for equipment inspection and replacement or repair of offtake system components, including the frequency of inspections, the method to be used to evaluate conformance with operating specifications for each type of equipment, and the method to be used to audit the effectiveness of the inspection and repair program for preventing exceedances;

(ii) Procedures for identifying offtake system components that leak and procedures for sealing leaks that are detected; and

(iii) Procedures for dampering off ovens prior to a push.

(6) Procedures for controlling emissions from nonrecovery coke oven batteries including:

(i) Procedures for charging coal into the oven, including any special procedures for minimizing air infiltration during charging, maximizing the draft on the oven, and for replacing the door promptly after charging;

(ii) If applicable, procedures for the capture and control of charging emissions;

(iii) Procedures for cleaning coke from the door sill area for both sides of the battery after completing the pushing operation and before replacing the coke oven door;

(iv) Procedures for cleaning coal from the door sill area after charging and before replacing the push side door;

(v) Procedures for filling gaps around the door perimeter with sealant material, if applicable; and

(vi) Procedures for detecting and controlling emissions from smoldering coal.

(7) Procedures for maintaining, for each emission point subject to visible emission limitations under this subpart, a daily record of the performance of plan requirements pertaining to the daily operation of the coke oven battery and its emission control equipment, including:

(i) Procedures for recording the performance of such plan requirements; and

(ii) Procedures for certifying the accuracy of such records by the owner or operator.

(8) Any additional work practices or requirements specified by the Administrator according to paragraph (d) of this section.

(c) Implementation of work practice plans. On and after November 15, 1993, the owner or operator of a coke oven battery shall implement the provisions of the coke oven emission control work practice plan according to the following requirements:

(1) The owner or operator of a coke oven battery subject to visible emission limitations under this subpart on and after November 15, 1993, shall:

(i) Implement the provisions of the work practice plan pertaining to a particular emission point following the second independent exceedance of the visible emission limitation for the emission point in any consecutive 6-month period, by no later than 3 days after receipt of written notification of the second such exceedance from the certified observer. For the purpose of this paragraph (c)(1)(i), the second exceedance is “independent” if either of the following criteria is met:

(A) The second exceedance occurs 30 days or more after the first exceedance;

(B) In the case of coke oven doors, topside port lids, and offtake systems, the 29-run average, calculated by excluding the highest value in the 30-day period, exceeds the value of the applicable emission limitation; or

(C) In the case of charging emissions, the 29-day logarithmic average, calculated in accordance with Method 303 in appendix A to this part by excluding the valid daily set of observations in the 30-day period that had the highest arithmetic average, exceeds the value of the applicable emission limitation.

(ii) Continue to implement such plan provisions until the visible emission limitation for the emission point is achieved for 90 consecutive days if work practice requirements are implemented pursuant to paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section. After the visible emission limitation for a particular emission point is achieved for 90 consecutive days, any exceedances prior to the beginning of the 90 days are not included in making a determination under paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section.

(2) The owner or operator of a coke oven battery not subject to visible emission limitations under this subpart until December 31, 1995, shall:

(i) Implement the provisions of the work practice plan pertaining to a particular emission point following the second exceedance in any consecutive 6-month period of a federally enforceable emission limitation for that emission point for coke oven doors, topside port lids, offtake systems, or charging operations by no later than 3 days after receipt of written notification from the applicable enforcement agency; and

(ii) Continue to implement such plan provisions for 90 consecutive days after the most recent written notification from the enforcement agency of an exceedance of the visible emission limitation.

(d) Revisions to plan. Revisions to the work practice emission control plan will be governed by the provisions in this paragraph (d) and in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. The reviewing authority is the Administrator or the delegated State, local, or Tribal authority.

(1) The reviewing authority may request the owner or operator to review and revise as needed the work practice emission control plan for a particular emission point if there are 2 exceedances of the applicable visible emission limitation in the 6-month period that starts 30 days after the owner or operator is required to implement work practices under paragraph (c) of this section. In the case of a coke oven battery subject to visual emission limitations under this subpart, the second exceedance must be independent of the criteria in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section.

(2) The reviewing authority may not request the owner or operator to review and revise the plan more than twice in any 12 consecutive month period for any particular emission point unless the reviewing authority disapproves the plan according to the provisions in paragraph (d)(6) of this section.

(3) If the certified observer calculates that a second exceedance (or, if applicable, a second independent exceedance) has occurred, the certified observer shall notify the owner or operator. No later than 10 days after receipt of such a notification, the owner or operator shall notify the reviewing authority of any finding of whether work practices are related to the cause or the solution of the problem. The notification is subject to review by the reviewing authority according to the provisions in paragraph (d)(6) of this section.

(4) The owner or operator shall submit a revised work practice plan within 60 days of notification from the reviewing authority under paragraph (d)(1) of this section, unless the reviewing authority grants an extension of time to submit the revised plan.

(5) If the reviewing authority requires a plan revision, the reviewing authority may require the plan to address a subject area or areas in addition to those in paragraph (b) of this section, if the reviewing authority determines that without plan coverage of such an additional subject area, there is a reasonable probability of further exceedances of the visible emission limitation for the emission point for which a plan revision is required.

(6) The reviewing authority may disapprove a plan revision required under paragraph (d) of this section if the reviewing authority determines that the revised plan is inadequate to prevent exceedances of the visible emission limitation under this subpart for the emission point for which a plan revision is required or, in the case of a battery not subject to visual emission limitations under this subpart, other federally enforceable emission limitations for such emission point. The reviewing authority may also disapprove the finding that may be submitted pursuant to paragraph (d)(3) of this section if the reviewing authority determines that a revised plan is needed to prevent exceedances of the applicable visible emission limitations.

[58 FR 57911, Oct. 27, 1993, as amended at 68 FR 37345, June 23, 2003]