Ethanol plant developers apply for air permit

Gulfstream Bioflex Energy LLC filed the revised application July 19, said DNR Permits Section Chief Kyra Moore. GBE first applied for an air permit for the $185 million plant in February; Moore said that application was incomplete because it lacked the required air-modeling analysis.

Moore said DNR technical staff is reviewing GBE’s application and running computer air-modeling demonstrations to ensure the proposed plant would comply with state air-pollution control standards. She couldn’t say how long the review process might take.

Once the modeling is approved, GBE will have 10 days to comment on the draft air permit, Moore said. A finalized permit would be issued after the company pays its permit review fees, she said.

In early May, visiting Boone County Judge Frank Conley ruled that GBE could proceed with the plant despite objections from property owners who sued the privately held company over concerns about their groundwater supply. The plant would be located on 252 acres east of Rogersville along U.S. Highway 60.

Following the decision, an attorney for the property owners – known collectively as Citizens for Groundwater Protection – filed post-trial motions arguing that Conley erred by applying a standard of proof higher than a “reasonable likelihood” that the plant would negatively impact the groundwater supply.

Attorneys for both sides argued the case before Conley in Columbia on Aug. 2, but the judge hasn’t yet ruled on the plaintiffs’ post-trial motions. Depending on the outcome, the plaintiffs have said they may appeal to the Missouri Southern District Appellate Court.

This story originally appeared in SBJ’s Aug. 29 free e-news Daily Update. Click here to register.