Summary
Public Notice of Emergency Permit
In order to address an imminent and substantial endangerment, the following Emergency Permit for open burning operations at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (IAAAP) has been issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7; Land, Chemical and Redevelopment Division; 11201 Renner Boulevard, Lenexa, KS 66219.
Emergency Permittee: U.S. Army and American Ordnance LLC
Location of Permitted Facility: Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, 17571 Des Moines County Highway 79, Middletown, Iowa 52638-5000
EPA RCRA ID#: IA7213820445
Description of Wastes: Up to 60,000 pounds of unstable M14 propellant
Activity Authorized by Emergency Permit: This Emergency Permit is being issued to temporarily increase the open burning rate to 1,500 pounds maximum per burn pan, 3,000 pounds total per hour in order to treat all unstable M14 propellent at the facility.
Reason Emergency Permit Is Necessary: IAAAP’s existing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit allows the open burning of munitions in metal pans at a maximum rate of 140 pounds per hour. However, IAAAP must safely dispose of up to 60,000 pounds of M14 propellant determined by analysis to have a faulty stabilizer. The Army has characterized this waste as Category D, and it is considered unstable. Safety departments for the Permittees have determined the propellant is unsafe for on-site storage, and it is also unsafe for off-site transport by truck for treatment at another location. Demilitarization/treatment must be completed within a limited time frame.
Date Permit Issued: March 2, 2020
Permit Effective Dates: March 2, 2020, until May 30, 2020
The Administrative Record for this action is available for review for 45 days at the following locations during normal business hours:
Burlington Public Library
210 Court Street
Burlington, IA 52601
319-753-1647
EPA Region 7 Records Center
11201 Renner Boulevard
Lenexa, KS 66219
1-800-223-0425
The Request for Emergency Permit and Emergency Permit are available on EPA’s website.
For more information, please contact Ruby Crysler, EPA Project Manager, at 913-551-7409; or Ben Washburn, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, toll-free at 800-223-0425.