Omaha Steel Castings (OSC) is covered under Title V of the federal Clean Air Act, and the plant received its first five-year operating permit under the Act in October of 2000. OSC has a Class 1 permit, for factories emitting more than 100 tons of air pollutants per year. Locally, the City of Omaha has permit, inspection and enforcement authority over OSC under the Clean Air Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an oversight role.

We have received more recent air pollution data since Part 1. Omaha Steel Castings 2000 criteria air pollution data from the City of Omaha is as follows, rounded to the nearest ton: volatile organic compounds (VOCS), 38; PM-10 (particulates), 44; TSP (total suspended particulates), 32; nitrogen oxides, 4; sulfur dioxides and trioxides, 1; hazardous air pollutants (HAPS), 3; lead, 0 and carbon monoxide, 0. There could be some overlap in these categories, but the addition of the Toxic Release Inventory air emissions napthalene, manganese and phenol could bring the total emissions to over 100 tons per year. Emissions data is collected by the factory itself and submitted to authorities. Sulfur dioxides when mixed with moisture are redeposited as acid droplets. For more information on health effects of the above chemicals, go to the New Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact Sheets at www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/rtkhsfs.htm.

A number of buildings in which the factory is housed have only three out of four walls. Nine separate production processes have their own baghouses with stacks or point emissions sources to catch particulates but there are additional processes without baghouses. VOCs are fugitive except as they might happen to be captured in with particulates. Fugutive pollutants escape not just through open windows, but also through open-ended buildings! Since the plant uses metal recyclables rather than just steel ingots as raw material in its castings, there could well be unanticipated fugitive VOCs emitted in the manufacturing process. Recyclables are not inspected by the City and apparently intact factory structures and tall stacks are not required under the Clean Air Act for older facilties. We have been unable to obtain the height of the two stacks visible from the street. According to Chester Black, head of Air Quality at the City of Omaha, if OSC planned to do some construction or renovation they would then have to address such questions as stack height.

The City has no data on the chemicals constituting OSC VOCs emissions since OSC is not required to report it and Nebraska local and state governments do not measure VOCs emissions. According to Black, the City doesn't have the equipment to measure VOCs. Black further stated OSC uses a urethane no-bake to make some casting molds, and urethane can break down when molten steel is poured into molds. According to the EPA, fugutive emissions are difficult to track.

A review of OSC's operating permit reveals the company seems to have considerable flexibilty in its production processes. For example, in the case of the electric arc furnace, the permit states, "The tons of metal processed per hour shall not exceed an average of 4.38 tons per hour based on a rolling 12 month average." The permit futher states, "To calculate the average TPH [tons per hour], divide the total tons processed during the month by the number of hours in the month." According to Black, the factory uses more electricity than any other in the City, and concentrates its operations in off hours to take advantage of cheaper rates. We still do not know what constitutes the raw materials received at the plant so it is hard to tell the extent of the toxicity to which citizens are being exposed. We have the right to know!

Turning to compliance and complaints, Omaha Steel Castings was listed out of compliance for air pollution in 1990. From 1980 to 1989 there was only one complaint, but 1990 brought 160. OSC increased from one shift to two about 1990, which no doubt partly explains the high number of complaints that year. In 1991 the City issued three letters of violation and two out of compliance ratings. Since then, the factory has been in compliance according to both City and EPA data. City compliance certification letters to the company indicate the factory had baghouse problems in 1992, 1993, and 1994, even while being designated in compliance. Every year since then, except for 1998 (when there were no complaints) and 2001, there has been at least one complaint about particulates., but overall the majority of complaints have been about odors. According to Black, the City defines a complaint an episode with which more than one complaint may be associated.

Complaints fell steadily from 160 in 1990 to none in 1998, but started up again in 1999 when there were three. There were six in 2000, and four so far in 2001. Complaints made to the City since 1999 include problems with particulates on cars parked at a business, and a call from a concerned young mother with small children who just bought a house not far from the factory. She was shown the house on a Sunday, when the factory doesn't operate, and after moving in was dismayed at the odors. Inspector response to complaints in the past three years twice indicate putting the factory on a bi-monthy drive-by list. At the Sierra Club Conservation Committee meeting Thursday night, July 26, neighbors stated, "It is getting bad again." Two households reported dead grass at the base of downspouts, and another said a newly painted house was already discolored on one side. Talks with residents not at the meeting indicate difficulty keeping stucco on a house and vibrations so strong that furniture moves across the floor. Although the number of complaints have gone down from the early 1990's, one reason may be that people have given up calling. At least one person has stated s/he has given up.

A steel factory was there first before any residential neighbors, right? Yes and no. OSC at 4601 Farnam street occupies a much larger piece of real estate than did its predecessors. The 1923 Omaha City Directory reveals a Platner Brother lumber company at the 4601 Farnam address and Missouri Pacific Railroad depot at 705 S. 48th St. Omaha Steel Works was at 609 S. 48th St., and the current cemetery was across the street. There were also houses on the east side of 48th street at 405, 413, and 421 [Harney is 400 south and Leavenworth is 800 south]. At some point steel operations acquired the adjacent properties and expanded production.

If you are interested in learning more or contributing to this project, please call Dorothy Lanphier at (402) 554-1108 or Carole Larson at (402) 558-4663.

Watch our calendar of events for activities related to this project.

This article originally appeared in the August, 2001 issue of the Missouri Valley Sierran (vol. 28, no. ?, p. 1)

Part 1