Document rBGe236KaLpJBRa1qL8QXKrv0

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION III Four Penn Center, 1670 John F Kennedy Blvd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 Report Title: Inspection Date(s): Regulatory Program(s): Clean Air Act Inspection of Stoney Ridge Fabricators, LLC. 05/11/22-05/11/22 N/A Company Name: Facility Name: Facility Location: Latitude: County/Parish: Stoney Ridge Fabricators, LLC. Stoney Ridge Fabricators, LLC. 945 Mauch Chunk Rd Palmerton, PA 18071 40.796380 Carbon County Longitude: -75.633496 AFS Number: Permit Number: NAICS Code: Unique Project #: 03000PA00013 N/A 332313 3E22CA020A SIC: 3443 Facility Representatives: Tom Szoke, Owner/Operator Phone: 610-390-1052 Contact: Larry George, General Manager Phone: 610-824-7041 Contact: Point of Contact tszoke@szokebrothers.com lgsrf@stoneyridgefabs.com EPA Inspectors: Paul Arnold, Environmental Engineer, 3ED21 Phone: 215-814-2194 Contact: arnold.paul@epa.gov Stafford Stewart, Environmental Engineer, 3ED21 Phone: 215-814-5352 Contact: stewart.stafford@epa.gov State/Local Inspectors: Christopher Madden, Air Quality Specialist, PADEP Phone: 610-881-2137 Contact: Stewart, chmadden@pa.gov Digitally signed by Stewart, Stafford EPA Inspector Stafford Date: 2022.06.24 08:28:44 -04'00' Signature Stafford Stewart Four Penn Center, 1670 John F Kennedy Blvd (3ED21) Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 KRISTEN Digitally signed by KRISTEN HALL Supervisor HALL Date: 2022.06.24 09:22:57 -04'00' Signature Kristen Hall Date Date Section Table of Contents Page I Introduction............................................................................ 3 A Summary of the Facility.................................................................................. 3 B Inspection Opening Conference...................................................................... 3 II Site Activity/Process Information.................................................................... 3 III Observations.................................................................................................... 4 IIII Records Review............................................................................................... 5 V Closing Conference......................................................................................... 5 VI List of Attachments.......................................................................................... 6 Unique Project #: 3E22CA020A Page 2 of 6 I. Introduction The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a Clean Air Act (CAA) inspection at Stoney Ridge Fabricators, LLC (Stoney Ridge Fabricators or the Facility) to verify compliance with applicable State and Federal regulations. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) was notified of the inspection on May 10, 2022, via email. On May 10, 2022, EPA attempted to notify the Facility of the planned inspection via phone and email but there was no acknowledgement of receipt of the notification. A. Summary of the Facility Stoney Ridge Fabricators is located at 945 Mauch Chunk Road, Palmerton, PA 18071. The Facility is a metal fabrication company, operations involve the shearing, bending, grinding, and fitting of metal plates. The facility representative, Mr. Tom Szoke, Owner/Operator, stated that they commenced operations in 1999 after purchasing the 6,000 square feet property from the previous owner, Mr. George Kasick. Mr. Szoke also indicated that this is their only facility and that they not affiliated with any other company. There are currently three employees, and the hours of operation are 7:00 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday. The Facility operates year-round without any planned shutdowns and is only closed for nine holidays. B. Inspection Opening Conference At 9:48 am on May 11,2022, EPA inspectors arrived at the Facility for a CAA Inspection. EPA began the inspection by conducting a brief opening conference. Stoney Ridge Fabricators was represented by Tom Szoke, Owner/Operator, and Larry George, General Manager. Also, Christopher Madden, Air Quality Specialist from PADEP was present. EPA inspectors, Paul Arnold, and Stafford Stewart presented their credentials and explained the purpose of the visit was to conduct a full compliance evaluation (FCE) to determine compliance with any applicable CAA regulations. Additionally, EPA informed the facility representatives of their right to claim any confidential business information (CBI). At that time, the Facility did not claim any photos or documentation as CBI. II. Site Activity/Process Description Stoney Ridge Fabricators is a custom plate and miscellaneous steel fabrication and erection company that commenced operations in 1999. The Facility fabricates steel, aluminum, and stainless-steel products according to customer specifications. About 50 % of the raw materials, which consists of metal plates, are provided by the customer. The remainder are purchased by the Facility on a cost basis primarily from Metals USA and Bloomberg Metals. The process usually involves shearing and cutting the raw materials using chop saws, the materials are then bent into shape on a brake press and formed per customer specifications. There are additional procedures required to produce the finished products, which includes using a hole punch or a Unique Project #: 3E22CA020A Page 3 of 6 drill press to create holes in the metal, if needed. Grinding is completed with hand grinders, and welding with the use of a MIG welder. A band saw is also used for cutting angles and special shapes. There is no blasting or coating of metals at this Facility. Once the finished goods are formed, they are shipped to customers which can include Penn Locomotive, a local company that manufacturers zinc, and several general contractors. Some of the finished product is also shipped to other fabricators for further finishing. The opening conference concluded at 10:25 am. III. Observations EPA inspectors were led on a walkthrough of the Facility at 10:26 am by the Facility's owner Tom Szoke, PADEP Air Quality Specialist Christopher Madden was also present for the walkthrough. EPA inspectors noted photos would be taken during the Facility walkthrough (Attachment 1). The plant tour began with an inspection of the shearing machine, the Facility representative, Tom Szoke explained that in this area metal plates are cut for further processing such as bending, welding, and grinding. It was observed that the Facility's processes were not in operation during the time of the inspection. The inspection team then proceeded to the punch press where holes are created in the metal according to specifications. EPA inspectors requested the Facility's representative, Tom Szoke, identify where the raw materials are located, and the inspection team was led to the area where metal plates are kept prior to processing. EPA inspector Paul Arnold inquired about the grinding process and the team was led to the area where the hand grinders are kept, however Tom Szoke explained that these grinders are used throughout the plant as needed. The band saw, which is used for cutting angles in the sheet metal, was then observed followed by the MIG welding machine, there are three MIG welding machines located throughout the plant. The Facility tour concluded with at the two chop saws, used for the shearing of the metal plates, the drill press, and a smaller punch press. No air pollution controls were observed in the process area. EPA Inspector Paul Arnold stated that a permit may be needed for the operations being undertaken at the Facility. EPA inspector Paul Arnold asked the Facility representative, Tom Szoke, if there were any emergency generators or boilers on site. Tom Szoke stated that there were no emergency generators and only a small boiler that was sometimes used for comfort heat, Tom Szoke also directed our attention to a wood stove which was vented to the atmosphere. The wood stove is sometimes used to provide comfort heat. Heat is generally not provided in the building because the large garage doors needed to load and unload materials make it impractical. The walkthrough concluded at 10:50 am. Unique Project #: 3E22CA020A Page 4 of 6 IV. Records Review The Facility representative was informed that a CAA Section 114 information request letter would be sent for information and specific records related to their operations. No records were reviewed on site since the Facility representatives needed time to obtain relevant records. V. Closing Conference EPA inspectors, the Facility representative Tom Szoke, and Christopher Madden of PADEP held a brief closing conference to ask additional questions and discuss observations. The EPA inspectors noted that the investigation is on-going, and any areas of concern identified in the final reports do not necessarily reflect a violation or deviation, rather, they are areas that will require further investigation. EPA also noted that they would issue an inspection report within 60 days, with a copy to the State. Simultaneously, EPA will perform a detailed review of records and may have additional questions. The inspection concluded at 10:55 am. The following have been identified as potential issues during the inspection. They are issues that require either further investigation by EPA or additional information or explanation by Stoney Ridge Fabricators. The Facility was informed that EPA will send a Section 114 Information Request letter to determine if they are subject to the requirements of 40 C.F.R. Part 63 Subpart XXXXXX: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants Area Source Standards for Nine Metal Fabrication and Finishing Source Categories. PADEP Inspector, Christopher Madden, stated to the Facility that they may be subject to registration requirements for fugitive emissions, but since no processes were in operations during the inspection a determination could not be made. Unique Project #: 3E22CA020A Page 5 of 6 VI. List of Attachments Attachment 1: Photo Log Unique Project #: 3E22CA020A Page 6 of 6