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: June 3, 2026	MDEQ Contact: Clinton Gentry

Leaf River Energy Center LLC, Leaf River Energy Center, located at 855 Smith County Road 5,  in Taylorsville, MS, (769) 533-0022, has applied to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for the following permitting action(s): Title V Renewal Permit, Air Ref. No. 2500-00085. The applicant's operations fall within SIC Code 4922.  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.  
Leaf River Energy Center, LLC, (LREC) is designed for injecting and storing natural gas in salt caverns and for withdrawal of stored gas from the caverns for delivery to pipelines. The facility currently operates six (6) natural gas-fired reciprocating compressor engines each utilizing an oxidation catalyst for emissions control, one (1) diesel-fired emergency generator engine, five (5)  natural gas-fired emergency generator engines, two (2) gas glycol dehydration still vents, two (2) natural gas-fired glycol reboilers each utilizing a thermal oxidizer for emissions control, two (2) line heaters, five (5) truck loading areas, as well as, numerous storage tanks qualifying as insignificant activities and fugitive emissions.
The LREC currently houses natural gas compression and associated facilities necessary for gas storage and midstream collection and distribution. Along with this permit renewal, LREC intends to increase its underground salt cavern natural gas storage capacity by 17.62 billion standard cubic feet (Bscf) and its deliverability by 0.50 Bscf per day to meet customer demand. This additional storage volume will require the installation of two (2) new gas-powered centrifugal compressors (proposed as Emission Points AA-045 and AA-046) with a total of 27,050 horsepower (hp) at the facility, including enclosures, ancillary facilities, and equipment. The facility is also installing one (1) new 1,004 HP Caterpillar G3512 four-stroke lean-burn (4SLB) spark ignition (SI) natural gas-fired emergency generator engine (proposed as Emission Point AA-047)
Additionally, the LREC installed the following sources via a February 25, 2026, 502(b)(10) operational flexibility change, consisting of the following:
1. Replacement of Emission Point AA-009 with a new 2.75 MMBTU/hr reboiler (proposed as Emission Point AA-049);
2. Replacement of Emission Point AA-010 with a new 2.75 MMBTU/hr reboiler (proposed as Emission Point AA-050);
3. Replacement of two (2) thermal oxidizers (Emission Points AA-013 and AA-014) with one (1) new 2.0 MMBTU/hr thermal oxidizer (proposed as Emission Point AA-051);
4. Installation of a new 750 MMSCFD glycol dehydration unit (proposed as Emission Point AA-052).
The facility’s potential-to-emit (PTE) exceeds the Title V major source threshold of 100 tons per year (tpy) for each of the following criteria air pollutants: Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO). The facility’s potential-to-emit hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) does not exceed the Title V major source thresholds of 25 tpy of total HAPs or 10 tpy for any individual HAPs. 
The facility is not one of the 28 categorical facilities listed in 40 CFR 52.21(b)(1)(i)(c)(iii); therefore, the PSD threshold for a major source is 250 tpy. Following installation of the proposed emission sources, the facility’s status as an existing minor PSD source will not change. 
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 Clinton Gentry at https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Gentry-Clinton/ or to the Permit Board 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 Clinton Gentry at https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Gentry-Clinton/ 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.
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. 
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, 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 statement of basis 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.