Friday, July 27, 2018
US Nitrogen Under State Review
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental officials have disclosed that a Greene County chemical firm is undergoing a review of its compliance with a series of state permits.
The ongoing review of US Nitrogen, which included a two day on-site visit, was disclosed in a letter sent Thursday to a Mosheim resident who had filed a complaint about a foul odor with the state five months ago.
Ron Wilhoit, an inspector with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, wrote to Sonja Craig of Mosheim earlier this week in response to a complaint she had registered on Feb. 28.
"A compliance inspection was conducted at US Nitrogen on July 2-3, 2018. Results are still pending," Without wrote in the letter which was posted on the TDEC website.
Contacted at her home Craig said she had yet to receive Wilhoit's letter, but she had just received a letter from another TDEC official responding to the same February complaint.
The letter from, Michelle Owenby, TDEC's director of air pollution control, said the complaint had been investigated and the results were still being compiled. Owenby's letter indicated that investigation focused on another company, Scepter, Inc., of Waverly, but that no violations were apparent
Craig, who said she has experienced chemical vapors from both companies, said the vapors evident on Feb. 28 were similar to those emitted in the past by Scepter, a company that recycles aluminum.
Whatever the source, Craig said the odors were overwhelming.
"I about passed out," she said. "I thought I was going to die."
She said the February incident was consistent with the cooking of aluminum, a process performed at Scepter.
She said an entirely different odor was present when a cloud of nitric acid vapor was released from US Nitrogen.
Craig, who has lived in the area for 38 years, said the once pristine area, has now become overcome by industrial development.
She said that when she first learned that US Nitrogen was planning to locate in Mosheim, "I knew we were in trouble."
"I'm amazed at how it's changed," she said,"and there isn't a thing we can do."
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When those providing permits to an industrial nightmare, in a small rural community, located in the mountains of E.TN, refuse to regulate those industries someone must be held accountable. Guv Haslam brought this environmental nightmare to this area. Dropped in the money to secure it. Got the votes and repaid his contributors while leaving town to celebrate his next abuse to another Tennessee community. Putting these rural communities into bankruptcy is the work of politicians that want to have more power and keep the jobs that they use to abuse.
ReplyDeleteCurrent republican guv candidate Randy Boyd was the head of Economic Development in TN working for Guv Haslam during the locating US nitrogen into Greene County E. Tennessee.
Soooooooo who is fooling who here???