State Confirms US Nitrogen Permit Status

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee environmental officials confirmed today that an administrative extension was granted to US Nitrogen for a key wastewater discharge permit that was scheduled to expire Monday.
Eric Ward, a spokesman for the Department of Environment and Conservation, confirmed the extension of the permit authorizing the disposal of millions of gallons of wastewater to the Nolichucky River.
"Since the permittee submitted an application in a timely fashion and the permit was not reissued by its expiration date, discharges from the facility will be automatically authorized through administrative extension of the permit," Ward wrote in an email response to questions.
The permit was originally issued in 2014 and US Nitrogen submitted a renewal application on June 2, 2015.
The permit is a major component of US Nitrogen's plans to begin producing ammonium nitrate at its newly constructed Greene County facility.