This news item expired on Monday, May 7, 2018 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
April 5, 2018
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA REGIONAL AIR QUALITY AGENCY
NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
DRAFT TITLE V PERMIT
To all interested parties:
The Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency (WNCRAQA) announces its intent to issue a Title V permit to Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County (MSD) located at 2225 Riverside Drive in Asheville, North Carolina. MSD owns and operates a 40 million gallon per day water reclamation facility located along the French Broad River in Asheville. Sewage sludge incineration is included in plant processes and requires an air quality permit. The primary purpose of the Title V permit is to consolidate and identify existing local and federal air quality requirements applicable to MSD, and to provide practical methods for determining compliance with these requirements. The permit has been prepared in accordance with WNCRAQA Air Quality Code, Chapter 17, Section .0500 – “Title V Procedures” and Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act. This permit will be enforceable by WNCRAQA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and citizens as defined under the Federal Clean Air Act.
The draft permit, permit application, and all other materials available to WNCRAQA that are relevant to the permit decision are available for public review at the following address: Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency, 52 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801. Materials are available for review during the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Persons wishing to comment on the draft permit are required to submit their comments in writing to WNCRAQA. Comments must be received by WNCRAQA no later than May 5, 2018. All comments received on or prior to that date will be considered by WNCRAQA in making its final decision to issue the Title V permit. Where there is significant public interest in a proposed permit, WNCRAQA may hold a public hearing to receive oral or written comments on the proposed permit approval. In the event a public hearing is scheduled, notice will be provided 30 days in advance in the same manner of publication.
EPA has agreed to treat this draft Title V permit as a proposed Title V permit and to perform its 45-day review provided by the law and regulations concurrently with the public notice period. Although EPA’s 45-day review period will be performed concurrently with the public comment period, the deadline for submitting a citizen petition to object to the EPA Administrator will be determined as if EPA’s 45-day review period is performed after the public comment period has ended (i.e., sequentially). The status regarding EPA’s 45-day review of this project and the deadline for submitting a citizen petition can be found at the following website address:
https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/north-carolina-proposed-title-v-permits.
After the public comment period and EPA review period have expired, copies of the final Title V permit, as well as public and EPA comments received and any other relevant information, will then be public record available for review during normal business hours at the above address.
For additional information, please contact Ashley Featherstone, Permitting Program Manager, at (828) 250-6778 or ashley.featherstone@buncombecounty.org.