Public Notice
Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board
P. O. Box 2261
Jackson, MS 39225
Telephone No. (601) 961-5171

Public Notice Start Date: August 29, 2018	MDEQ Contact: Jeffrey Bland	

NRG Wholesale Generation LP's Choctaw County Generating Station, located at 2446 Highway 407, in French Camp, MS, (662) 547-7017, has applied to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for the following permitting action(s): reissuance of the Title V Operating Permit No. 0400-00018. The applicant's operations fall within SIC Code 4911.  A Statement of Basis has been prepared that contains a discussion of the decision-making that went into the development of the permit and provides the permitting authority, the public, and other government bodies a record of the technical issues surrounding issuance of the permit. The Statement of Basis also addresses any changes to emissions and/or discharges resulting from any modification of the facility.  
The Choctaw County Generating Station is an existing electrical power generating facility which operates combustion turbines to produce electrical power.  The potential emissions of Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, Volatile Organic Compounds, and an individual Hazardous Air Pollutant (formaldehyde) exceed Title V thresholds; therefore, the facility is considered a major Title V source.  The facility is also considered a major source with regards to the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations; however, this permit action is not subject to the PSD requirements.
The staff of the Permit Board has developed this draft permit based on information submitted to the Permit Board by the applicant, appropriate State and Federal agencies and other interested parties. The staff of the Permit Board is soliciting all relative information pertaining to the proposed activity, including public comment, to ensure that the final staff recommendation on the draft permit complies with all State and Federal regulations. Public review and comment on the draft permit and supporting documentation is an important element in the staff evaluation and resulting recommendation to the Permit Board. The draft permit conditions have been developed to ensure compliance with all State and Federal regulations but are subject to change based on information received as a result of public participation.
Persons wishing to comment upon or object to the proposed determinations are invited to submit comments in writing to Jeffrey Bland at the Permit Board's address shown above, no later than the end of the thirty (30) day public notice. All comments received by this date will be considered in the formulation of final determinations regarding the application(s).  A public hearing will be held if the Permit Board finds a significant degree of public interest in the proposed permit(s). Persons wishing to request a public hearing may do so by submitting that request in writing to Jeffrey Bland or the Chief of the Environmental Permits Division at the address shown above.  The Permit Board is limited in the scope of its analysis to environmental impact.  Any comments relative to zoning or economic and social impacts are within the jurisdiction of local zoning and planning authorities and should be addressed to them.
After receipt of public comments and thorough consideration of all comments, the staff will formulate its recommendations for permit issuance and a proposed permit if that is the recommendation. The Title V Permit to Operate is a permit that is required by Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act and the Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Law. The Title V permit is a Federally-enforceable permit as well as a State permit.  Therefore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also be allowed an opportunity to review the application, proposed permit, and all comments received during the public comment period prior to Permit Board action on the application. 
EPA has agreed to treat this draft permit as a proposed permit and to perform its 45-day review provided by the law and regulations concurrently with the public notice period, as long as no public comments are received within the 30-day public notice period.  If comments are received, EPA’s 45-day review period will cease to be performed concurrently with the public notice period.  EPA’s 45-day review period will start once the public notice period has been completed and EPA receives notification from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality that comments have been received and resolved.  Whether EPA’s 45-day review period is performed concurrently with the public comment period or after the public comment period has ended, the deadline for citizen’s petitions to the EPA Administrator will be determined as if EPA’s 45-day review period is performed after the public comment period has ended.  
The status regarding EPA’s 45-day review of this project and the deadline for citizen’s petitions can be found at the following website address:  https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/mississippi-proposed-title-v-permits
Additional details about the application(s), including a copy of the draft permit(s), are available by writing or calling Lorenzo Boddie at the above Permit Board address and telephone number.  Additionally, as a courtesy, for those with Internet access, a copy of the draft permit(s) may be found on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s website at: http://opc.deq.state.ms.us/publicnotice.aspx. This information is also available for review at the following location(s) during normal business hours:
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Pollution Control
515 E. Amite St 
Jackson, MS 39201 
Weir Public Library
360 Front Street
Weir, MS 39772

Please bring the foregoing to the attention of persons whom you know will be interested.