By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Local residents and a representative of the Sierra Club called out state environmental officials for failing to protect the Nolichucky River and other state waterways in a 30 minute hearing tonight on a permit renewal held virtually.
The hearing convened by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation was held to get comments on the proposed renewal of a permit authorizing US Nitrogen LLC to dump millions of gallons of effluent into the Nolichucky.
"What has happended to the Nolichucky is criminal," said Park Overall, a local environmental activist who also submitted extensive written comments opposing the permit renewal.
Overall said she has been repeatedly shuffled from one government agency to another in her attempts to find out who is rsponsible for ensuring endangered species aren't harmed by US Nitrogen's use of the river.
The company already has won a renewal for a separate permit that allows the chemical firm to draw up to 2 million gallons of water per day from the Nolichucky for use in the production of ammonium nitrate and related products.
Stanley Olmstead, another local resident, said the state agency should be trying to improve water quality instead of finding ways to allow companies to pollute it.
There's just not enough being done, Olmstead said, adding that it would be foolish for anyone to swim in the Nolichucky or eat fish caught from it.
Two other residents who live along the river said TDEC has fallen short of its duty to protect the river.
One said that it has been nothing but a nightmare since US Nitrogen went into operation.
Scott Banbury of the Sierra Club said that TDEC should be looking at the overall environmental impact of industrial operations rather than look at just one permit at a time.
By looking at one permit at a time officials were "ignoring the big problem. It's really disingenuous."
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
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