Carthage plant could face fine for odor

The department has sent six Notices of Excess Emissions to the Carthage plant since March, insisting it eliminate the odor produced by its processing facility. The demand letter explains the upgrade of the notices to Notices of Violation.

If RES does not schedule a meeting or reach a compliance agreement with DNR by the deadline, the violations will be reported to the Missouri Air Conservation Commission at its Sept. 5 meeting, said Renee Bungart, Missouri DNR’s spokesperson.

The department will ask the commission to refer the violations to the Missouri Attorney General’s office for legal action, Bungart said.

Each Notice of Violation merits a $10,000 fine, which would be paid to the Jasper County School Fund, Bungart said.

RES spokesperson Julie Gelfand issued a statement in response to the demand letter. It said, “RES continues to cooperate with the DNR in attempting to resolve the Notices of Excess Emissions to a reasonable conclusion. While we do not necessarily agree with the demand, we will continue to work with the DNR to reach a mutually acceptable solution.”

The plant converts animal wastes to oil in an effort to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil, according to its Web site. In doing so, the plant produces an odor – something neighborhood residents have complained to DNR about.

DNR has set up a temporary satellite office in Carthage to monitor the plant’s odor and take complaints from residents, who can call 1-800-361-4827.

Bungart said RES has made an effort to get rid of the odor, but the problem has yet to be solved.

“It’s an innovative facility, so there’s not too many others to learn from,” she said. “They’re trying different options to see what will work. It’s a learning process.”

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