Blunt orders Carthage plant to close

Gov. Matt Blunt on Wednesday directed the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to shut down RES while the department reviews the company’s operations and the company takes steps to comply with state air quality rules.

Blunt also asked the department to pursue every legal option to make sure the plant complies with clean air laws, and to refer any violations to Attorney General Jay Nixon for legal action.

“I want the business to be successful, but the concerns of the people who live and work near the plant are more important to me,” Blunt said in a news release. “If left unresolved, this one business will have a negative impact on the region by hurting tourism and job growth.”

RES spokesperson Julie Gelfand issued the following statement:

“Although we have not yet been provided with a copy of the order, we are shocked and disappointed with Gov. Blunt's statement that he has requested that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources temporarily close our plant in Carthage. There is already a process in place where the city of Carthage and the DNR have been working closely together to ensure that Renewable Environmental Solutions (RES) operations are appropriate.”

Gelfand could not be reached for comment on how the closure will affect RES employees.

Blunt has asked Doyle Childers, director of the DNR, to work with RES to review ways the facility can function in a community-friendly manner. Carthage residents have filed numerous odor complaints with the department, and RES has been cited for violations of state air rules six times this year.

Ceasing operations for the interim will resolve the problem temporarily while the state looks for an appropriate long-term solution, Blunt said in the release. He hopes to solve the problem by spring, when warmer weather could worsen the odor.

RES produces fuel oil from turkey by-products derived from the nearby ConAgra Foods processing plant. The company produces 100 to 200 barrels of oil per day.