The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has reversed an April decision that limited the emissions limits of British wood pellet manufacturer Drax. MDEQ has issued the company a Title V operating permit, which will allow the company to operate as a major source of hazardous air pollutants, or HAPS.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, HAPS are classified as pollutants known to cause cancer and other serious health impacts.
Shamira Muhammad
MDEQ reverses course on Drax permit request
Drax’s new designation will allow its Gloster-based plant to produce a larger amount of emissions per year. Some residents of Gloster, including Mayor Jerry Norwood, joined neighbors from Amite County during the first day of hearings to show support for Drax.
Other residents of the majority Black town were present to denounce the company, arguing that the plant has caused serious health issues for community members.
During the tense two-day hearings, attorneys for Drax argued that witnesses providing testimony on behalf of non-profit “Greater Greener Gloster” could not definitively trace their health conditions to pollutants from the plant.
In a statement, Drax says the permit will “allow our plant to continue to operate, enabling us to continue providing much needed well-paying jobs in this rural corner of Mississippi, and support hundreds more across the state’s forestry and lumber industries.”
The company has previously been fined nearly $3 million dollars since beginning operations in the state ten years ago. The updated Title V permit will require the company to report to MDEQ more frequently. In a statement, Drax says “MDEQ’s conditions, inspection regime and our commitment to continue to invest in compliance and improving operational standards will ensure that Drax at Amite operates as safely and efficiently as possible, demonstrating our commitment to the safety and health of our colleagues and the community.”
Krystal Martin, the executive director of “Greater Greener Gloster” says she’s not surprised with the outcome of the hearing.
“For me, it's been obvious for the past few weeks that Drax was using every tactic possible to sway the decision in their favor,” she said. “We could see it through all of their social media posts, making sure they posted about the amount of money that they had put into the state of Mississippi.”
Martin says she continues to advise residents battling severe health issues and has retained additional attorneys.
“I'm going to continue to advocate for our young people,” she said. “I am going to continue to advocate for our community. I am going to continue to advocate so people can live in a community that's healthy, that's safe.”
