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Draft Air Pollution General Permit for Concrete Batch Plants |
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A draft permit has been created by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Division of Air Pollution Control for large concrete batch plants. This drafted permit is currently on public notice and available to review.
A public hearing is scheduled for May 13, 2025.
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📃 What’s this permit about? |
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To make the permitting process more efficient, TDEC is creating general permits which all facilities within an industry group can get rather than having each facility get an individual permit.
- This general permit is only for concrete batch plants that have less than a total of 79.9 tons/year of emissions.
- This equals:
- uncontrolled loadout of 450,000 cubic yards/year or
- controlled loadout (such as a central dust control) of 2,600,000 cubic yards/year.
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💭 What’s the general permit process look like? |
- Instead of filling out a permit application with multiple forms, you fill out one Notice of Intent form.
- After the Division of Air Pollution Control reviews the form and sees if the facility can be covered under the permit, they would issue a Notice of Coverage.
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The Notice of Coverage allows the facility to construct and operate under the general permit.
- You need to understand and follow the general permit terms and conditions.
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Review the draft general permit.
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The public meeting about the draft permit will be both in-person and online, so you can participate in whichever way works for you.
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If you want to submit comments at the hearing, make a written copy of comments for the hearing officer. The hearing officer helps keep the meeting on track and may limit how long you can talk to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.
- Comments:
- have to be about the drafted permit,
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should include data or industry best practices if changes are suggested,
- can be in support of the general permit,
- can be received up to close of business on May 14, 2025.
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| Lingo | Meaning |
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| Concrete Batch Plant | Operation that mixes ingredients to make concrete | | Emissions | Gas and particles put into the air by different sources | | Emission Sources | Anything that gives off gas and particles. Think of the dust that comes off from loading trucks with material |
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Draft Tennessee Multi-Sector General Permit for Industrial Stormwater |
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The Tennessee Multi-Sector General Permit (TMSP) is set to expire in June of this year. Because it is expiring, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Division of Water Resources has updated the permit and is seeking public comments on the new permit.
The public hearing for this permit will be held on May 21st with informal Q&A starting at 1 CT and the official public hearing beginning at 2 CT.
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📃 What’s this permit about? |
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This permit is for industrial activities that have a point source discharge of stormwater into waters of the state of Tennessee.
- Point source means pipes, ditches, channels, tunnels, etc., where pollutants are or may be discharged.
- This permit applies to the manufacturing, transportation, and waste sectors.
- Put simply: this permit applies when rainwater contacts your industrial material or activity and flows to a storm drain or a stream nearby.
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A note: If all industrial materials and activities are protected by a storm-resistant shelter to prevent exposure to rain, you may be allowed a permit exemption, but you have to submit a no exposure certification form to get this exemption.
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The purpose of this permit is to minimize pollutants in our waterways.
- It is one of the many general permits which is under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
- Tennessee was given the ability to issue permits by the EPA.
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💭 What’s the general permit process look like? |
- Instead of filling out a permit application, you would fill out a Notice of Intent form.
- After the Division of Water Resources reviews the form and finds everything submitted can be covered under the permit, they would issue a Notice of Coverage to the facility.
- The Notice of Coverage allows the facility to be under the general permit, so you still need to understand and follow the permit terms and conditions.
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Review the draft general permit.
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The public meeting about the draft permit will be both in-person and online, so you can participate in whichever way works for you.
- Comments:
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can be provided at the public hearing on May 21st.
- can be provided through May 31st by emailing Vojin Janjic at Vojin.Janjic@tn.gov.
- have to be about the drafted permit.
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General vs. Individual Permits |
| This is a great time to go over the differences between individual permits and general permits at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). TDEC uses individual or general permits depending on the activity type.
Generally, the following information applies to permits at TDEC.
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- Individual permits are permits that are made specifically for a facility. That facility then has to follow all of the conditions of their own permit.
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General permits are permits that already have all the conditions (rules and requirements) laid out for you, and you just need to apply for coverage under that permit. Because the conditions for a general permit are already laid out, these types of permits tend to be less expensive and quicker to get issued than individual permits.
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General permits are developed for specific industries like the ready-mix concrete industry or specific types of activities like industrial stormwater as a way to provide permits with common controls and requirements and help provide a level playing field within that industry or activity.
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Pollution Prevention Webinar |
On May 21st, at 1:00 pm CST, TDEC’s Office of Sustainable Practices will host a discussion for businesses that conduct spray painting activities in their manufacturing processes. The speaker will share tips on how to more effectively spray paint with an emphasis on reducing paint waste.
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Do you have questions about environmental regulations?
Give us a call at 800-734-3619 or send us an email at BGSBEAP@tn.gov.
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