No Fine for US Nitrogen Violation

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Tennessee regulators say they will not impose a fine on a Greene County chemical firm despite the fact that the company violated a condition of its permit for four months in a row.
In a two-page letter to US Nitrogen, Amanda Davis, a division manager for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, wrote that she had elected to "take no further action at this time."
But, she continued, "Be advised that the technical secretary may be less lenient of any future violations."
In the letter to US Nitrogen plant manager Dylan Charles, Davis indicated the violation surfaced in an annual compliance visit to the Midway facility. While the state permit limits the amount of natural gas used for the company's steam boiler to 380 million cubic feet in any 12 month period the cap was exceeded in April, May, June and July.
The monthly totals in that period ranged from 392 million cubic feet to 446 million cubic feet, Davis noted in the letter.
Davis did note that a re-check of the data did slightly lower the amounts, but not enough to eliminate the violations. She also acknowledged that US Nitogen had requested that the fuel cap be eliminated from the permit altogether.
Citing the revised data, Davis wrote, "Based on this information the division believes that no serious environmental or health impacts likely occurred to the general public as a result of the natural gas fuel usage exceedance for the steam generating boiler."
"By failing to comply with Condition 7, you have violated the Tennessee Air Pollution Control regulation," the letter states.
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