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Pullman Innovations

Background 

A-F Acquisition LLC, doing business as Pullman Innovations LLC, operates a facility that processes byproduct edible oil into animal feed ingredients. The Pullman facility is located in Chicago at 2701 East 100th Street. Pullman has operated on the Southeast side of Chicago for approximately a decade. Previously, the facility was operated by Agri-Fine, Inc. In 2014, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (Illinois AGO) filed a lawsuit against Agri-Fine, Inc., which entered bankruptcy and was acquired by A-F Acquisition LLC in 2016.

The facility’s operations and activities are subject to state and federal environmental laws and regulations for air pollution and odors, as well as local ordinances enforced by the City of Chicago. Equipment that can release air pollutants and are regulated by Illinois EPA (“emissions units”) at the facility include railcar loading and unloading operations, 24 process reactors currently controlled by scrubbers (an air pollution control device), 20 sulfuric acid tanks, numerous storage vessels and natural gas-fired boilers. Illinois EPA has received complaints from community members about odors believed to originate from activities and operations at the facility, dating back to Agri-Fine’s operation of the facility.  

Illinois EPA has inspected the facility and reviewed its records and as a result it has sent the Illinois AGO an enforcement referral that includes violations related to odors.

This webpage is intended to provide a space for the public to easily access information and documents about Illinois EPA’s enforcement actions related to Pullman and the State’s response to odor concerns.

Compliance & Enforcement 

As the state’s primary environmental regulatory agency, Illinois EPA enforces environmental requirements, including by issuing permits to regulated facilities. These permits set limits for the air pollutants the facilities can emit and outline the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting needed to show that they are following environmental laws. Facilities must obtain a construction permit from Illinois EPA before they build or modify emission units. To determine whether the facility is following environmental regulations and permit conditions, Illinois EPA conducts inspections and reviews compliance reports. When inspectors or compliance staff find violations, the Agency may issue a notice to the facility describing the violations (a “violation notice”), which starts the pre-enforcement process under Section 31 of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act, 415 ILCS 5/31.

Outlined below is a general timeline of recent compliance and enforcement activities concerning the Pullman facility: 

  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has also investigated Pullman under federal environmental laws and regulations. This is separate from Illinois EPA’s processes but is another way to address violations at the facility. On March 3, 2022, U.S. EPA issued a Notice of Violation to Pullman citing violations of Title V of the Clean Air Act and to the Illinois State Implementation Plan. 
  • On January 15, 2025, Illinois EPA denied Pullman’s construction permit application for installation of a third natural gas boiler. Pullman applied for this permit in December 2024. Illinois EPA denied the permit because Pullman had already installed the boiler before applying for the permit.
  • On May 29, 2025, Illinois EPA issued a Violation Notice to Pullman related to Pullman’s installation of a third natural gas boiler without a construction permit, and alleging that the facility caused or allowed odorous emissions, failed to control odors, failed to properly maintain and operate existing pollution controls, and failed to submit deviation reports. Illinois EPA has referred these violations to the Illinois Attorney General’s office for enforcement.
  • On December 1, 2025, Illinois EPA received a construction permit application from Pullman to install a new air pollution control device, a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO). Pullman is not requesting to increase the amount of air pollutants it is allowed to emit; it is only requesting to install the RTO to reduce its emissions of  volatile organic material (VOM), in response to enforcement actions. Review of this permit application is pending with the Bureau of Air. 

Odor Issues

The construction permit application to install the RTO (the air pollution control device) is an outgrowth of efforts by U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA to address Pullman’s failure to comply with environmental laws, including its release of odors. The RTO device is intended to help reduce VOM emissions, which should reduce odors from the facility. If the odor violations continue after the RTO is installed, Illinois EPA is committed to take additional actions to end the violations.

In addition to the VOM-related odor issues, community members have expressed concern that odors are being caused by facility wastewater discharge to the sewer system. On April 3, 2026, Illinois EPA Bureau of Water (BOW) field operating staff conducted an inspection of the facility. Illinois EPA conducted the inspection to document the status of the facility’s pretreatment wastewater system because of concerns the facility may have modified or constructed pretreatment equipment without a Water Pollution Control (WPC) permit. On May 19, 2026, BOW issued a Violation Notice to Pullman based on its inspection. 

Reporting Odor Issues

At times, particularly for persistent incidents such as this case, Illinois EPA encourages concerned community members to keep a log of odor incidents. A record or log may assist the Illinois EPA with its active enforcement action.

The odor log sheet can be found on the Illinois EPA Pollution Complaint webpage in both English and in Spanish. 

Environmental Justice & Public Engagement

This facility’s location, on the Southeast side of Chicago, is considered an area of environmental justice (EJ) concern, according to the Illinois EPA’s GIS mapping tool, EJ Start. The Illinois EPA is committed to advancing EJ through the implementation of its various EJ-related policies and plans. Most notable and applicable to this case is the Illinois EPA’s EJ Enforcement Strategy. Illinois EPA and Illinois AGO are working in close coordination to address this matter. This coordinated approach is guided by the principles and actions outlined in the Illinois EPA’s EJ Enforcement Strategy.

Since February 2026, staff from both Illinois EPA and Illinois AGO have engaged in ongoing communication with stakeholders and community members about this case. Both Illinois EPA and Illinois AGO welcome continued communication and outreach from community members. Contact information can be found below.

Contact Information 

Illinois EPA

Illinois AGO

Resources