The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is accepting public comment on a draft air quality permit for Lawndale Recycling in Cleveland County.
The proposed facility plans to burn resinated (treated) wood, construction and demolition wood, and chemically untreated wood pallets to generate electricity to recycle post-industrial biomass and plastic materials.
The facility would be considered a major source facility that requires a Title V air quality permit because emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide would both be above 100 tons per year. These emissions would be routed through a baghouse filter.
DAQ conducted an air toxics dispersion model on Lawndale Recycling’s emissions, which demonstrated that no toxic air pollutant is expected to cause an exceedance of an acceptable ambient level. The draft air quality permit includes a requirement that the facility test its boilers within 180 days of beginning operations to confirm emission estimates used in the modeling.
The draft permit includes conditions that ensure ambient levels of all pollutants emitted by the facility beyond the facility’s fence line comply with emission standards, including applicable health-based standards. The facility would also be subject to recordkeeping and reporting requirements and regular inspections.
Copies of the public notice, draft permit, draft permit review, permit application, and a one-page project fact sheet are available online.
Comments or requests for a public hearing will be accepted until June 8, 2024, at 5 p.m. Comments can be emailed to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov with “Lawndale.23A” in the subject line. Comments can also be mailed to:
NCDEQ Division of Air Quality
1641 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1641
The Division will consider all public comments before making a final decision on the proposed permit.