The owner of a currently-closed chemicals plant designed to produce sulfuric acid and other sulfur based chemicals has applied for a permit to release 60-100 tons of chemical by-products in to the environment per year. This step has lead many local residents, paddlers, and regional environmental organizations to believe that the plant will soon be reopened. The Tennessee Department of the Environment and Conservation (TDEC) are hosting a hearing on December 18th in Ducktown, Tennessee to hear public comments on the permit application.
TDEC staff told American Whitewater that the permit simply consolidates existing permits that the owner already has, and that the owner could legally begin operating the plant today under the existing permits. TDEC stated that they will only be taking technical comments on the permit application, and will not address broader concerns about the plant’s operation. They indicated that the plant owner would get the permit no matter what, but that justified technical comments may change the content of the permit.
Ocoee paddlers and citizens should certainly be concerned about the potential reintroduction of massive amounts of chemical byproducts into the watershed. The only reason that the emissions (primarily air) would be allowed is that the air in the region is clean enough to not be strictly regulated. The devil though is in the details. The air emissions would do two things: They would fall onto the Ocoee watershed which just 2-3 decades ago was completely devoid of vegetation due to sulfur contaminants and which is just starting to recover, and they would follow prevailing winds to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, which already regularly features air pollution levels that are dangerous to human health and damaging to vegetation.
Reopening this plant is simply the wrong thing for the watershed. The watershed has changed from a highly industrial area that had such bad deforestation that it could be seen from space as a red scar on the earth, into a triving recreational destination that is currently home to a massive environmental restoration effort. This restoration effort is a posterchild of the EPA’s, yet the EPA is now proposing to allow even more sulfur by-products to be released into the watershed.
Please consider attending the hearing or writing written comments on the permit if you are concerned about the impacts of the permit. This being said, it appears that non-technical public comments will have little sway on the permit process. If you have the technical expertise to review the permit and offer substantive technical comments, please contact Kevin Colburn at kevin@amwhitewater.org in order to share and leverage your contribution to the process with the paddling community.
The hearing will be held on Wednesday Dec. 18, at 7:00 PM, at Ducktown
Elementary School, in Ducktown, TN. To reach the school, travel north from
Copperhill on TN 68. Cross US 64/74 and go through the little town of
Ducktown. As you begin to leave down, heading down a hill, a road marked
with a sign “Ducktown Elementary School” will angle off to the right. Turn
here and proceed to the school.
In addition to the hearing, written comments will also be accepted through
Dec. 18. They should be addressed to
Mr. Barry Stephens
Director, Air Pollution Control Division
9th Floor, L & C Annex
401 Church Street
Nashville, TN, 37243-1532
Read the public hearing notice below or click on the link to access the notice on the state’s website.
UPDATE:
When AW asks for help, paddlers are quick to step up.
We were advised by an environmental consultant familiar with Title V permitting that there is not likely to be a good technical reason to deny or even alter the permit, and that the permit will likely be issued regardless of public comment. They also suggested that AW have someone review their quarterly or semiannual submissions to ensure they are operating properly because effective monitoring of the air pollution controls will likely be the key to environmental protection in this instance. This perspective is entirely consistent with the comments of the State.
This being said, if you are concerned about the quality of the air and water in the Ocoee Region or anywhere else, it is your right to voice that opinion. Decision makers cannot recieve too many calls and letters requesting a healthy environment.
If anyone would like to volunteer to review the plant’s emmission reports, should the plant actually open, please contact kevin@amwhitewater.org.
HEARING NOTICE
A Public Hearing for the purpose of receiving comments on the proposed Title V draft permit for Intertrade Holding, Inc. will be held at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on December 18, 2003 at the Ducktown Elementary School Auditorium on Highway 64 in Ducktown, Tennessee. This source has applied to the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Division (TAPCD) for a major source operating permit subject to the provisions of paragraph 1200-3-9-.02(11) of the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Regulations (also frequently referred to as Title V regulations). The issuance of a major source (Title V) operating permit is required by both the Federal Clean Air Act and the Tennessee Air Pollution Control Regulations. This company also has applied for changes to permit conditions for the #2 oil fired Acid Plant Boiler. It should be noted that this facility has current permits for the following sources:
(Source 70-0004-18) – Oleum Tank Car Loading
(Source 70-0004-21) – No. 6 Sulfuric Acid Plant
(Source 70-0004-22) – No. 6 Acid Plant Preheater
(Source 70-0004-24) – Organic compounds Plant.
(Source 70-0004-27) – Acid Plant Boiler
(Source 70-0004-60) – Liquid Sulfur Dioxide Plant, Unit A
(Source 70-0004-61) – Liquid Sulfur Dioxide Plant, Unit B
(Source 70-0004-65) – Lime Storage Bin
(Source 70-0004-73) – Sulfur Storage Tank
(Source 70-0004-74) – Preheater for Sulfur Burner
(Source 70-0004-75) – Liquid Sulfur Trioxide Process
(Source 70-0004-79) – Soda Ash Truck Unloading Station
(Source 70-0004-99) – General Facility Ambient Air Monitoring
The applicant is Intertrade Holding, Inc. with a site address of Highway 68, Copperhill, TN 37317. They seek to obtain a major source operating permit for the manufacture of sulfur -containing chemicals.
Additionally, please note the following items concerning the proposed Title V permit for this facility:
1. The issuance of the Title V permit does not mean the No. 6 Acid Plant and the two units of the Liquid Sulfur Dioxide Plant are preparing to start up. Both sources can legally start up and operate under existing permits. The incorporation of all the existing permits for the facility into a single Title V permit and the public noticing of said permit is a legal requirement of the 1990 Clean Air Act.
2. There will be no physical changes to the facility under the conditions of the Title V permit.
3. The Title V permit will not impose new requirements on the facility.
4. While the Title V permit will require additional monitoring and certification of compliance, the effect on the facility will be minimal as existing State regulations have required the operation of continuous in-stack sulfur dioxide monitors for both the exhaust stacks of the No. 6 Acid Plant and the Liquid Sulfur Dioxide Plant and reporting of any excess emissions to the State for many years.
In addition, the Division operates two ambient air quality sulfur dioxide monitoring stations in the Copper Basin. Both stations currently show the area is currently achieving attainment with the national ambient air quality standards for sulfur dioxide. Historical data shows that the area has remained in measured attainment status since 1987.
A copy of the application materials used by the TAPCD and a copy of the draft permits are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the following locations:
Copperhill Public Library
160 Main Street
Copperhill, TN 37317-9999
Connie Workman, Director
and
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Division of Air Pollution Control
9th Floor, L & C Annex
401 Church Street
Nashville, TN 37243-1531
Also, if you require a copy of the draft permit it is available electronically by accessing the TDEC internet site located at:
http://www.state.tn.us/environment/apc/apcppo/
Please note that a supplement to the original information which was made available on October 15, 2003 is being provided at the two above-mentioned locations and at the TDEC internet site.
To be considered, comments must be made by the close of the Public Hearing and should be addressed to Mr. Barry R. Stephens, Director, Tennessee Division of Air Pollution Control, 9th Floor, L & C Annex, 401 Church Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-1531. Written or verbal comments will be accepted at the Public Hearing. Questions concerning this source may be directed to Younes Aleali at the above address or by calling (615)-532-0541. A final determination will be made after weighing all relevant comments.
Individuals with disabilities who wish to participate in these proceedings (or to review these filings) should contact the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to discuss any auxiliary aids or services needed to facilitate such participation. Such contact may be in person, by writing, telephone, or other means, and should be made no less than ten days prior to the end of the public comment period to allow time to provide such aid or services. Contact the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation ADA Coordinator, 12th Floor, 401 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37243, 1-866-253-5827. Hearing impaired callers may use the Tennessee Relay Service, 1-(800)-848-0298.
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For the “Polk County News / Citizen Advance ” or “The Basin Prospector ” – publish once on November 12, 2003.
Air Pollution Control Date: November 10, 2003
Assigned to – Younes Aleali
No alterations to the above are allowed. Intertrade Holding, Inc. must pay to place this advertisement in the newspaper.
Air Pollution Control must be furnished with an affidavit from the newspaper stating that the ad was run and the date of the ad or one complete sheet from the newspaper showing this advertisement, the name of the newspaper and the date of publication. Mail to Younes Aleali, Air Pollution Control Division, 9th Floor, L & C Annex, 401 Church Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-1531.