The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has issued an air permit for the Carolina Sunrock Burlington North facility and a separate air permit for the Carolina Sunrock Prospect Hill Quarry and Distribution Center facility, both in Caswell County.
In 2020, DAQ denied the synthetic minor permit applications after modeling found that each facility would violate both the nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) beyond the property boundary. Carolina Sunrock LLC submitted new applications to demonstrate compliance with NAAQS.
A public hearing was held for the Burlington North facility on September 20, 2021, and a separate public hearing for the Prospect Hill facility on September 21, 2021. Division staff thoroughly reviewed the comments received on the draft permits during the public hearings and comment periods. In response to community concerns raised during the public engagement process, DAQ also conducted modeling to ensure each facility’s emissions were within the toxic air pollutant Acceptable Ambient Levels (AAL) and would comply with the NAAQS.
Each permit contains conditions that will give the Division of Air Quality the compliance and enforcement tools necessary to ensure the respective facilities are operating as represented in each permit application while complying with state and federal air quality regulations. Once constructed, each facility will be subject to unannounced compliance inspections. Required stack testing for particulate matter and visible emissions will also be required and made publicly available.
The final permits, final permit reviews, hearing officer’s reports, Director’s memos, and modeling memos are available here.