New Judge Named in US Nitrogen Suit

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A new judge has been assigned to hear the case brought by a group of Eastern Tennessee residents challenging the legality of a permit issued by the state to a major ammonium nitrate manufacturer.
Records in Chancery Court in Nashville show Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle has been assigned to hear the challenge to the permit issued  by the Tennessee Department of Transportation to US Nitrogen and the Industrial Development Board of Greeneville and Greene County.
The case was sent back to the Nashville court after an appeals court overturned a decision by Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman. She had thrown out the suit on the grounds that the landowners lacked standing to challenge the permit.
The permit enabled the construction of a pipeline from US Nitrogen's Midway facility to the Nolichucky River. The company uses the pipeline to draw water from the river for use in its manufacturing processes.
Bonnyman recused herself from the case on Oct. 5 after the Appeals Court overturned virtually all of her findings in an 18-page decision issued in July.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com