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: July 16, 2025	MDEQ Contact: Chappell Ford

AITX Railcar Services LLC,  Brookhaven Facility, located at 113 Boyce Drive, in Brookhaven, MS, (601) 384-5841, has applied to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for the following permitting action(s): Reissuance of the Synthetic Minor Operating Permit, Air Ref. No. 1620-00054. The applicant's operations fall within SIC Code 4789.  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.  
AITX is a railcar repair shop that provides cleaning and repair services, exterior repainting, and relining of interiors of railcars (tanker and hopper cars). Railcars arrive on the inbound inspection track to ensure the railcar is empty and to identify repair and cleaning requirements. If residuals are present, the residue is drained into closed containers. The facility utilizes an open-air assisted flare to depressurize the rail cars. Tank cars can be steamed cleaned using steam from the boiler. Each slot in the cleaning rack is vented to the flare. One railcar at a time is depressurized or steam cleaned and vented to the flare.
After cleaning, railcars are processed through the repair shop for any needed mechanical repairs. If exterior repainting is required, the railcar is sent to the blast bay, which is an enclosed booth equipped with a blast hose where abrasive steel grit is used to remove dirt, rust, and paint. Interior blasting is similarly completed using the interior of the railcar as a blast booth. Blast emissions are vented to external dust collectors. Coating operations include interior and exterior coating and are performed in the repair shop. Manually operated spray guns are used in an enclosed building. AITX has the potential to exceed the Title V Operating Permit thresholds for Volatile Organic Compounds, Individual HAPs and Total HAPs. The facility has requested emission limits to stay below the Title V thresholds. 
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 Chappell Ford at https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Ford-Chappell/ 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 Chappell Ford at https://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Ford-Chappell/ 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 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.