Exol says it’s ready to comply with EPA
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, May 7, 2002
The information on which the EPA is basing its recent statements about emissions from ethanol production facilities is too preliminary to give anyone an idea about what, if anything, needs to be done, according to Rick Mummert, manager of the Exol ethanol plant in Glenville.
They aren’t even finished with all of their testing, he added. For example, the EPA hasn’t even determined if the emissions in focus even make it off site before dissipating. And they haven’t offered concrete information to operators about what needs to be done.
Friday, the EPA had released a letter that it had sent to the trade group representing the ethanol industry citing concerns about emissions from ethanol facilities. According to EPA officials, they plan on meeting with company officials to discuss changes to the facilities to reduce the emissions.
&uot;At this point we can’t answer very many questions until we have more finite data to work with,&uot; said Mummert. At this point, the emissions in focus are alleged to include small amounts of carbon monoxide, methanol and other volatile organic compounds &045; carcinogens &045; that are nevertheless above the EPA’s legally acceptable limits.
What he does know is that the concerns are the result of changing the rules about testing after most facilities had been designed and built.
&uot;Basically they’ve changed the rules and test methods in midstream,&uot; he said. Retrofitting is almost always more difficult and expensive.
According to Mummert, when some initial concerns about emissions were raised, Exol ordered a thermal oxidizer, a piece of equipment that will probably take care of any problem emissions. But he can’t have the equipment installed because the EPA hasn’t officially decided whether it’s necessary.
&uot;We are very ready to comply with any regulations,&uot; Mummert said. He just needs more concrete information and instructions from the government.
Minnesota’s ethanol plants, including Exol, are in the middle of expanding or have just finished expansion projects to provide enough ethanol for the growing market for the fuel additive. Minnesota’s plants are now capable of producing 330 million gallons a year.