US Nitrogen Files for Operating Permits

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Acting on a deadline US Nitrogen has formally filed for conditional major operating permits with Tennessee environmental officials for seven of its manufacturing functions at its Midway, Tenn. facility.
The operational permits are the next step for the ammonium nitrate manufacturing facility in its protracted startup efforts.. The June 19 deadline for filing the conditional major operating permits was one of the conditions of another series of extensions granted to the company by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation last year.
The operating permit applications include one for US Nitrogen's nitric acid plant, which has been plagued by aborted start up efforts and the release of toxic vapors. The toxic gas releases prompted complaints from some area residents.
In addition to the nitric acid plant, the permit applications were submitted for the ammonia and ammonium nitrate plants, a cooling tower, a steam boiler, open flare operations and a gasoline dispensing facility.
The June 19 deadline was one of the conditions of a series of construction permit extensions granted by TDEC last year.
The new permit applications were submitted by US Nitrogen's plant manager, Andrew Velo.
The Nov. 8, 2016  extensions of the construction permits gave the company until Dec. 31 to complete the construction phase. The extensions included a series of permit amendments sought by US Nitrogen.
Despite a series of permit violations, TDEC has thus far declined to impose any penalties. The town of Mosheim, however, has levied penalties on US Nitrogen for exceeding discharge limits for the town's wastewater treatment facility.
Penalties totaling $14,700 were imposed due to the excess levels of nitrogen and phosphate in wastewater US Nitrogen discharged to the treatment plant.
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