Public Notice
Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board
P. O. Box 2261 | Jackson, MS 39225
515 East Amite St. | Jackson, MS 39201
Telephone No. (601) 961-5171

Public Notice Start Date: February 11, 2026	MDEQ Contact: Jeffrey Bland

Keesler Air Force Base, located at 81 TRW/CC, 720 Chappie James Ave., in Keesler Air Force Base, MS, (228) 377-1262, has applied to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for the following permitting action(s): Modification to Synthetic Minor Operating Permit (SMOP), Air Permit Ref. No. 1020-00006. A Permit Review Summary 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 Permit Review Summary also addresses the changes to emissions from modification of the facility.  
Keesler Air Force Base (Keesler) is an existing military facility that provides housing / training for active-duty service members of the Air Force, conducts flying operations, and performs maintenance actions on applicable vehicles. The facility’s operations fall within SIC Code 9711 (National Security) and NAICS Code 928110 (National Security). Keesler is proposing to replace an emergency generator and two boilers at the base with larger units. Emissions from the new equipment will continue to be limited by the existing permit limitations on fuel combustion devices. The existing permit limits, monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting ensure that Keesler remains below the major source thresholds of 100 tons per year (tpy) for emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, 10 tpy for emissions of individual hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), and 25 tpy for emissions of total HAPs. 
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 https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Bland-Jeffrey/ or to the Permit Board address shown above, no later than March 13, 2026. 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 at https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Bland-Jeffrey/ or to the Permit Board 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.
Additional details about the application, including a copy of the draft permit, are available by writing or calling the Public Records Request Officer at the above Permit Board address and telephone number or by completing the form at the following website: https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/about-mdeq/public-records-request/public-records-request-form/. Additionally, a copy of the draft permit and Permit Review Summary may be found on the MDEQ’s website at: https://opc.deq.state.ms.us/publicnotice.aspx. This information is also available for review at the office of the MDEQ at the Permit Board address shown above during normal business hours. Please bring the foregoing to the attention of persons whom you know will be interested.