By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental officials have concluded that US Nitrogen LLC has fulfilled its emission reporting requirements for the second half of 2021.
In a letter to Dylan Charles, USN's plant manager, Bryan Parker of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said the Greene County chemical company also complied with the emission limits set in its state permits.
The company submitted its report earlier this month.
"The division considers that US Nitrogen LLC has fulfilled the requirements set forth" in its permits, Parker wrote, adding that the data showed the company's report showed the monitoring systems achieved the required 95 per cent availability level.
In addition, he continued, the company data showed there were no excess levels of nitrogen oxide emission during the six month period.
"The division considers the report technically correct and acceptable for a determination of compliance," Parker concluded.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
US Nitrogen Files Emissions Report
US Nitrogen LLC has filed a report certifying that it remained in compliance with its' state permit limits on various pollutants throughout 2021.
The 53-page filing with the state Department of Environment and Conservation included dozens of appendices listing pollutants emitted from its Greene County manufacturing plant.
Noting that it maintains a log on the ammount of ammonium nitrate produced daily, the company reported that the amount of nitrous oxides produced remained under .41 tons per ton of ammonia produced.
The report is here:https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/pls/enf_reports/BGAPC.GET_DOCUMENTS?p_file=93677776292235767
The 53-page filing with the state Department of Environment and Conservation included dozens of appendices listing pollutants emitted from its Greene County manufacturing plant.
Noting that it maintains a log on the ammount of ammonium nitrate produced daily, the company reported that the amount of nitrous oxides produced remained under .41 tons per ton of ammonia produced.
The report is here:https://dataviewers.tdec.tn.gov/pls/enf_reports/BGAPC.GET_DOCUMENTS?p_file=93677776292235767
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Austin Powder in $5.3 Million EPA Settlement
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Austin Powder Co has reached a multimillion dollar settlement to vastly reduce pollution in Ohio rivers in and around its main explosives manufacturing facility.
In a settlement agreement announced today the company agreed to make a series of improvements in two wastewater treatment facilities that feed water into tributaries of the Ohio River.
In addition to the $3 million in improvements to its treatment facilities, the company agreed to pay a $2.3 million civil penalty, according to the U.S Justice Department. The improvements will be made in and around Austin's so-called Red Diamond facilities in McArthur, Ohio.
Austin is the owner of US Nitrogen, a Tennessee manufacturer of chemicals used in the production of explosives.
The $2.3 million civil settlement was due to hundred of violations of the federal Clean Water Act dating back to 2013.
“Industrial dischargers must ensure their operations do not foul our nation’s waters,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
“The improvements required by this settlement will greatly improve Austin Powder’s compliance with its permits and improve the health of the Ohio River and its tributaries,” he added.
his settlement will prevent tens of thousands of pounds of pollutants from entering Ohio streams and rivers each year,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
The proposed 277-page consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and a judge's approval after it is published in the Federal Register.
Simultaneously with the announcement of the proposed consent agreement, it was filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Austin Powder Co has reached a multimillion dollar settlement to vastly reduce pollution in Ohio rivers in and around its main explosives manufacturing facility.
In a settlement agreement announced today the company agreed to make a series of improvements in two wastewater treatment facilities that feed water into tributaries of the Ohio River.
In addition to the $3 million in improvements to its treatment facilities, the company agreed to pay a $2.3 million civil penalty, according to the U.S Justice Department. The improvements will be made in and around Austin's so-called Red Diamond facilities in McArthur, Ohio.
Austin is the owner of US Nitrogen, a Tennessee manufacturer of chemicals used in the production of explosives.
The $2.3 million civil settlement was due to hundred of violations of the federal Clean Water Act dating back to 2013.
“Industrial dischargers must ensure their operations do not foul our nation’s waters,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
“The improvements required by this settlement will greatly improve Austin Powder’s compliance with its permits and improve the health of the Ohio River and its tributaries,” he added.
his settlement will prevent tens of thousands of pounds of pollutants from entering Ohio streams and rivers each year,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
The proposed 277-page consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and a judge's approval after it is published in the Federal Register.
Simultaneously with the announcement of the proposed consent agreement, it was filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Explosion at SA Austin Facility
Three people were injured Wednesday when an explosion occurred in an explosives manufacturing facility in Rafaela Argentina.
According to press accounts the explosion occurred in an Austin Powder explosives plant at 2:30 in the morning when a shift change was taking place.
One of the three injured workers had to be hospitalized.
The plant manufactures explosives for use in the mining and other industries. Austin Powder owns US Nitrogen LLC, the Greeneville, Tenn. company that produces ammonium nitrate which is shipped to other Austin facilities for the production of explosives.
According to press accounts the Rafaela explosion was triggered by excess pressure in a distillation tower and it could be heard throughout the city.
Austin has operated in Argentina since 1993 when it bought out a local explosives manufacturer.
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
US Nitrogen Submits River Report
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
A Greene County chemical firm has submitted its monthly report on the use of free river water that includes an unusual footnote for six dates in the month of February.
The report from US Nitrogen LLC states that the firm withdrew just shy of 15 million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River during the month.
In addition the company reported it discharged an additional 8.7 million gallons back into the river.
A footnote to the report from Plant Manager Charles Dylan states, "The instantaneous max has been recorded for Feb 3, 15, 16,17,22, and 25."
"The design capacity for the two pumps in operation is 1,350 GPM (gallons per minute), which is our permitted rate," the note concludes.
In previous recent reports, a footnote has stated that due to an equipment malfunction the daily figures were estimated based on the capacity of the pumps used to send the water to the Midway plant through a 12 mile pipeline.
A request for an explanation of the new language to Dylan was not immediately answered.
The report does state that the largest amount of water drawn from the river in a single day was 1.1 million gallons on Feb. 2. The daily withdrawal amounts exceeded nine million gallons on five days.
The largest daily amount discharged back into the river was a little over 600,000 gallons on Feb. 2. The daily discharge exceeded 500,000 gallons on five days in February.
Over the objections of local environmental activists, he company gained approval from two separate state agencies to allow for the use of the river water in the production of ammonium nitrate.
Contact: wfroche jr999@gmail.com
A Greene County chemical firm has submitted its monthly report on the use of free river water that includes an unusual footnote for six dates in the month of February.
The report from US Nitrogen LLC states that the firm withdrew just shy of 15 million gallons of water from the Nolichucky River during the month.
In addition the company reported it discharged an additional 8.7 million gallons back into the river.
A footnote to the report from Plant Manager Charles Dylan states, "The instantaneous max has been recorded for Feb 3, 15, 16,17,22, and 25."
"The design capacity for the two pumps in operation is 1,350 GPM (gallons per minute), which is our permitted rate," the note concludes.
In previous recent reports, a footnote has stated that due to an equipment malfunction the daily figures were estimated based on the capacity of the pumps used to send the water to the Midway plant through a 12 mile pipeline.
A request for an explanation of the new language to Dylan was not immediately answered.
The report does state that the largest amount of water drawn from the river in a single day was 1.1 million gallons on Feb. 2. The daily withdrawal amounts exceeded nine million gallons on five days.
The largest daily amount discharged back into the river was a little over 600,000 gallons on Feb. 2. The daily discharge exceeded 500,000 gallons on five days in February.
Over the objections of local environmental activists, he company gained approval from two separate state agencies to allow for the use of the river water in the production of ammonium nitrate.
Contact: wfroche jr999@gmail.com
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