Two companies informed the state Division of Air Quality on Thursday they intend to stop fumigation operations at a facility in Wilmington and will not pursue an air quality permit that called for increasing the use of the fumigants at the site.
The letters came from Royal Pest Solutions, which currently operates at 800 and 810 Sunnyvale Drive, Wilmington, and Tima Capital, the company that had applied for a permit to change the facility to its name and increase the use of the fumigant methyl bromide.
The letters seek state approval to withdraw the draft air permit and cease fumigation operations at the Wilmington location by April 10, after the current inventory of logs is fumigated.
“At the request of our landowner, Tima Capital Inc will not be fumigating on this property after Royal Pest Solutions Synthetic Minor Permit cessation of operations and rescission of their permit effective April 10,” said Tima Capital President Timurlan Aitaly in a letter to William Willets, the Division of Air Quality’s permitting chief, and Brad Newland, the division’s regional supervisor. “Therefore, no further permits will be needed by Tima Capital Inc for the sites of 800 and 810 Sunnyvale Drive.”
DAQ officials started Thursday making arrangements to withdraw Tima’s draft permit and rescind Royal Pest’s current air quality permit for the facility.
Last week, DAQ issued a news release announcing its plans to hold a new public comment period and public hearing to enable additional input for the Tima Capital’s draft air quality permit. The new public comment period came in response to heightened public interest in the permits. The first comment period on Tima’s draft permit ran from Feb. 23 to March 25. While the new comment period had not been announced, DAQ officials have continued to receive comments about Tima’s proposed permit and most of 1,100 comments received since Feb. 23 were opposed to issuing the permit.
A second fumigation company, Malec Brothers Transport, LLC, is requesting a new air quality permit to start a fumigation facility in Columbus County. Malec is also proposing the use of methyl bromide. As stated in last week’s news release, the state plans soon to announce a new public comment period and new public hearing for the Malec Brothers draft air quality permit.