By Walter F. Roche Jr.
In a request made more than a month ago a major Green County chemical firm has asked state officials to ease opacity limits during the startup of its nitric acid plant in Midway.
In the one-page letter to Michelle Owenby of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Dylan Charles plant manager of US Nitrogen LLC said the company wanted the state to resume efforts to come up with a new less restrictive emission limit.
Charles acknowledged that the delay in setting new lower limits came only because his company had requested it in March of 2019.
"I am now requesting that the division re-start its efforts related to the source specific SIO (State Inplementation Plan) revision," Charles wrote in the Dec. 13 letter to Owenby.
Charles also requested a meeting with TDEC officials on its request.
Excess visible emissions during start-up of the nitric acid plant has been a recurring issue between state regulators and US Nitrogen. Those issues came to light during the initial start-up of the plant in September of 2016.
Excessive visible emissions have also generated complaints from area residents and environmental advocates like Park Overall.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Friday, January 21, 2022
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
US Nitrogen's Parent Has 4 More TN Location
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
The parent company of Greeneville's US Nitrogen has four other facilities in Tennessee, twice the amount reported recently.
In addition to operations in Lafollette and Davidson County, Ohio based Austin Powder has facilities in Dunlop TN in Sequatchie County and Blountville Sullivan County.
When US Nitrogen announced its plans to locate in Tennessee company officials left the clear impression that products produced in Greene County would have to be shipped to other states like Ohio for producing explosives, the company's primary product.
At least two of the other Austin facilites in Tennessee have the facilities to make explosives with US Nitrogen's primary product, ammonium nitrate.
According to state and county land records Austin Powder owns 54 acres in Sullivan County and over 600 acres in Davidson County.
A request made to Austin Powder for the products produced at each of its Tennessee plants went unanswered.
Additional Austin Powder U.S. locations include Connecticut, Kentucky and Pennsylvania and multiple sites in its home state of Ohio.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
The parent company of Greeneville's US Nitrogen has four other facilities in Tennessee, twice the amount reported recently.
In addition to operations in Lafollette and Davidson County, Ohio based Austin Powder has facilities in Dunlop TN in Sequatchie County and Blountville Sullivan County.
When US Nitrogen announced its plans to locate in Tennessee company officials left the clear impression that products produced in Greene County would have to be shipped to other states like Ohio for producing explosives, the company's primary product.
At least two of the other Austin facilites in Tennessee have the facilities to make explosives with US Nitrogen's primary product, ammonium nitrate.
According to state and county land records Austin Powder owns 54 acres in Sullivan County and over 600 acres in Davidson County.
A request made to Austin Powder for the products produced at each of its Tennessee plants went unanswered.
Additional Austin Powder U.S. locations include Connecticut, Kentucky and Pennsylvania and multiple sites in its home state of Ohio.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Pilot Flying J Fined $50,270 for Sewage Runoff
By Walter F. Roche Jr
A company linked to the family of the former Tennessee governor has been fined $50,270 due to excess runoff at a gas station in Knoxville.
In a notice issued yesterday the state Department of Environment and Conservation cited Pilot-Flying J for effluent violations at a Knoxville gas station and travel center.
The department noted that in addition to violating state law, the facility had been cited multiple times in the U.S. Environmental Agency's quarterly list for non-compliance.
Founded by former Gov. Bill Haslam's father, Pilot Flying J recently sold a major stake in the rest stop chain to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.
According to state records the rest stop at 7200 Strawberry Plains Pike violated its permit limits multiple times. Excess e. coli levels were recorded seven times while total suspended solid limits were exceeded 17 times.
The effluent ultimately flows into Hickory Creek.
Under the order Pilot must pay $5,027 upfront. The remainder must be paid if the company does not meet deadlines set under a corrective action plan. That plan must be submitted to TDEC within 30 days.
The company also must submit periodic reports and a final report once the action plan has been completed. Failure to meet deadlines will result in additional fines.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
A company linked to the family of the former Tennessee governor has been fined $50,270 due to excess runoff at a gas station in Knoxville.
In a notice issued yesterday the state Department of Environment and Conservation cited Pilot-Flying J for effluent violations at a Knoxville gas station and travel center.
The department noted that in addition to violating state law, the facility had been cited multiple times in the U.S. Environmental Agency's quarterly list for non-compliance.
Founded by former Gov. Bill Haslam's father, Pilot Flying J recently sold a major stake in the rest stop chain to Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.
According to state records the rest stop at 7200 Strawberry Plains Pike violated its permit limits multiple times. Excess e. coli levels were recorded seven times while total suspended solid limits were exceeded 17 times.
The effluent ultimately flows into Hickory Creek.
Under the order Pilot must pay $5,027 upfront. The remainder must be paid if the company does not meet deadlines set under a corrective action plan. That plan must be submitted to TDEC within 30 days.
The company also must submit periodic reports and a final report once the action plan has been completed. Failure to meet deadlines will result in additional fines.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Monday, January 10, 2022
TDEC Waives Fines at USN Site
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental officials have decided not to impose any fines against Linde Inc. despite the fact that the company exceeded emission limits at its Midway facility 129 times in a nine month period.
Linde Inc., which produces liquifide carbon dioxide, was cited in September for the violations which occured on cooling towers the company uses in its manufacturing operations.
In a letter sent today to Linde, Kevin McLain of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said TDEC's technical secretary had decided not to impose any fines because of new information provided to the agency.
"Please be advised that the technical secretary may be less lenient of any future violations," the letter states.
The violations occurred from Jan. 30 2020 and Oct. 30, 2020, according to the TDEC letter.
Subsequent to the violations,TDEC loosened the emission limits and no further violations were recorded. The daily average limit of 803.5 microsiemens was increased effective Oct. 14, 2021 to 7,100 microsiemens.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tennessee environmental officials have decided not to impose any fines against Linde Inc. despite the fact that the company exceeded emission limits at its Midway facility 129 times in a nine month period.
Linde Inc., which produces liquifide carbon dioxide, was cited in September for the violations which occured on cooling towers the company uses in its manufacturing operations.
In a letter sent today to Linde, Kevin McLain of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said TDEC's technical secretary had decided not to impose any fines because of new information provided to the agency.
"Please be advised that the technical secretary may be less lenient of any future violations," the letter states.
The violations occurred from Jan. 30 2020 and Oct. 30, 2020, according to the TDEC letter.
Subsequent to the violations,TDEC loosened the emission limits and no further violations were recorded. The daily average limit of 803.5 microsiemens was increased effective Oct. 14, 2021 to 7,100 microsiemens.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Friday, January 7, 2022
US Nitrogen River Use Drops Again
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
For the second month in a row a Greene County chemical has reduced the amount of free river water it uses in the production of ammonium nitrate and related products.
In a report filed with the state today, US Nitrogen LLC reported it used 16.7 million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River during the month of December.That compares with 17.18 million gallons pumped from the river in November.
In the monthly report the chemical firm once again acknowledged that its monitoring system malfunctioned and the amounts reported for a 10 day period, Oct. 9 to Oct. 19, were estimated based on system capacity.
The report states that 700,000 or more gallons were pumped from the Nolichucky on seven days during the month, with the highest amount, 720,000 gallons, on Dec. 29.
The report shows 428,000 gallons were pumped back into the Nolichucky during the month. That compares with 5.2 million discharged in November.
On 15 days there was minimal discharge.
US Nitrogen won state approval to draw water from the Nolichucky from a pipeline stretching from the 22.8 mile marker on the Nolichucky to the US Nitrogen plant in Midway.
The monthly reports are required under the terms of the company's state permit.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
For the second month in a row a Greene County chemical has reduced the amount of free river water it uses in the production of ammonium nitrate and related products.
In a report filed with the state today, US Nitrogen LLC reported it used 16.7 million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River during the month of December.That compares with 17.18 million gallons pumped from the river in November.
In the monthly report the chemical firm once again acknowledged that its monitoring system malfunctioned and the amounts reported for a 10 day period, Oct. 9 to Oct. 19, were estimated based on system capacity.
The report states that 700,000 or more gallons were pumped from the Nolichucky on seven days during the month, with the highest amount, 720,000 gallons, on Dec. 29.
The report shows 428,000 gallons were pumped back into the Nolichucky during the month. That compares with 5.2 million discharged in November.
On 15 days there was minimal discharge.
US Nitrogen won state approval to draw water from the Nolichucky from a pipeline stretching from the 22.8 mile marker on the Nolichucky to the US Nitrogen plant in Midway.
The monthly reports are required under the terms of the company's state permit.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)