By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Utiilizing a little known provision in state environmental statutes a major chemical company sought and obtained approval from state environmental regulators to keep certain emissions data from public disclosure.
Documents released this week show the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation granted the request from US Nitrogen LLC to keep some of the data out of the public file.
The data was included in US Nitrogen's response to a series of questions posed by TDEC after the company requested that it be allowed to exceed visible emission limits during startups and shutdowns of its nitric acid plant in Midway, Greene County.
TDEC has yet to act on the US Nitrogen's request on visible emission limits.
Documents released this week show the company filed the request to keep some data from public view on April 18. The request was signed by company Plant Manager Dylan Charles.
UDEC documents state that applicants can request a protective order for confidential information to prevent public dissemination of any secret formula, process or method used in any manufacturing operation.
The TDEC document continues however: " The composition of air contaminants shall not be considered secret unless so declared by the Division of Air Pollution Control."
The redacted documents released this week show several pages were nearly blank.
The heading on the first blank page states: " observations of NOx and NH3 emissions when the division made visible emissions observations.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Monday, April 25, 2022
TDEC Releases Highly Redacted USN Responses
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Tennessee environmental officials have belatedly released the highly redacted responses from US Nitrogen LLC to questions about the company's visible emissions during the start-up and shut-down of its nitric acide plant.
In the nine-page response the Greene County firm's plant manager said some of the questions could not be answered with the current equipment at the facility.
"Currently it is not technically feasible for the Selective Catalytic Reduction to provide reliable control of opacity," USN Plant Manager Charles Dylan wrote in the response to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Connservation.
TDEC posed the questions on Feb. 17 in response to USN's request for a waiver from current visible emissions limits. TDEC had originally set a 30-day deadline for responses, but later extended it to 60 days at the company's request.
Dylan wrote that the length of start up phases per year at the plant over the four years ending in 2021 ranged from 30 to 70 minutes.
Dylan added that USN had taken "many procedural and mechanical steps" to reduce visible emissions. He wrote that the plumes from the plant included diatomic nitrous oxide and di-atomic oxygen.
He said the worst case scenarios came during start-ups.
He concluded by stating that the company "had nothing further to share.
Five pages attached to the letter were almost entirely redacted.
The redacted document was only posted to TDEC's dataviewer today after press inquiries.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tennessee environmental officials have belatedly released the highly redacted responses from US Nitrogen LLC to questions about the company's visible emissions during the start-up and shut-down of its nitric acide plant.
In the nine-page response the Greene County firm's plant manager said some of the questions could not be answered with the current equipment at the facility.
"Currently it is not technically feasible for the Selective Catalytic Reduction to provide reliable control of opacity," USN Plant Manager Charles Dylan wrote in the response to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Connservation.
TDEC posed the questions on Feb. 17 in response to USN's request for a waiver from current visible emissions limits. TDEC had originally set a 30-day deadline for responses, but later extended it to 60 days at the company's request.
Dylan wrote that the length of start up phases per year at the plant over the four years ending in 2021 ranged from 30 to 70 minutes.
Dylan added that USN had taken "many procedural and mechanical steps" to reduce visible emissions. He wrote that the plumes from the plant included diatomic nitrous oxide and di-atomic oxygen.
He said the worst case scenarios came during start-ups.
He concluded by stating that the company "had nothing further to share.
Five pages attached to the letter were almost entirely redacted.
The redacted document was only posted to TDEC's dataviewer today after press inquiries.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Monday, April 4, 2022
USN River Use Takes Big Jump
By Walter F Roche Jr.
The use of free water from the Nolichucky River by a Green County firm jumped by more than four million gallons during the month of March, according to a report filed today with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The monthly report from US Nitrogen LLC showed the chemical firm, a subsidiary of a major explosives firm, showed a little over 19 million gallons were drawn in March, up from 14.95 milllion in February
The firm also reported it dumped 9.6 million gallons of waste water back into the river in March, up from 8.2 million gallons in February.
In a related but separate development Yara International which is slated to become the third major masnufacturer to occupy the same Midway site reported that as of the end of 2021 it hadn't even begun to initiate construction activities.
Steve Rodgers, a Yara vice president, wrote in a letter to TDEC that as a result it had emitted no air contaminants during the last quarter of 2021. Under its permit Yara is required to file reports on air emissions from the Midway site.
In its report to TDEC, US Nitrogen said that over one million gallons of water were drawn from the Nolichucky during the first six days of March In addition more than one milllion gallons were pumped from the river on each of the last two days of the month.
On six days in March, including the last day of the month only a minimal amount was pumped back into the river.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmailcom
The use of free water from the Nolichucky River by a Green County firm jumped by more than four million gallons during the month of March, according to a report filed today with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The monthly report from US Nitrogen LLC showed the chemical firm, a subsidiary of a major explosives firm, showed a little over 19 million gallons were drawn in March, up from 14.95 milllion in February
The firm also reported it dumped 9.6 million gallons of waste water back into the river in March, up from 8.2 million gallons in February.
In a related but separate development Yara International which is slated to become the third major masnufacturer to occupy the same Midway site reported that as of the end of 2021 it hadn't even begun to initiate construction activities.
Steve Rodgers, a Yara vice president, wrote in a letter to TDEC that as a result it had emitted no air contaminants during the last quarter of 2021. Under its permit Yara is required to file reports on air emissions from the Midway site.
In its report to TDEC, US Nitrogen said that over one million gallons of water were drawn from the Nolichucky during the first six days of March In addition more than one milllion gallons were pumped from the river on each of the last two days of the month.
On six days in March, including the last day of the month only a minimal amount was pumped back into the river.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmailcom
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