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 8, 2020	MDEQ Contact: Audra Eubanks

Genesis Rail Services LLC, Natchez Terminal, located at 120 L E Barry Road, in Natchez, MS, (601) 807-4964, has applied to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for the following permitting action(s):  Modification to Synthetic Minor Operating Permit Ref. No. 0040-00054. The applicant's operations fall within SIC Code 5169.  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.  
Genesis Rail Services, LLC (Genesis) operates a liquid terminal in Natchez, Mississippi.  The Natchez Terminal is a liquid terminal facility which is used to store and transfer petroleum products and sodium hydroxide (NaOH).The site is currently operating under a synthetic minor operating permit (SMOP).  Petroleum products received by rail are transferred to storage tanks, and then transferred to barges.  Light petroleum products received by barge or truck are transferred to tanks and blended with heavier oils before the blended product is loaded on to barges.  The light petroleum products may be stored in tanks by itself or may be directly blended with heavier products.  The terminal also has the ability to load rail cars.
Genesis submitted a permit modification to add railcar cleaning to the existing SMOP permit.  Railcar cleaning gives Genesis the capability of cleaning residual solids from  empty rail cars for the purpose of returning the rail cars back to the leasing company or returning the rail cars back into product service.  The cleaning process requires a series of steps which include venting rail cars to the atmosphere, removing the solids via vacuum truck, solvent and water rinsing, and media blasting the railcar interior.  Genesis is also requesting to remove the South Dock (Emission Point AI-002) from the permit.  Genesis did not renew the lease and no longer has access to this emission point.  Removing this emission point will decrease Genesis’s potential to emit emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds by 13.74 tpy.  Genesis is proposing to modify the SMOP permit with the following changes:  (1)  Remove Emission Point AI-002 (South Dock) and all applicable requirements, and (2)  Add Railcar Cleaning Operations (Emission Point AI-007).

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 Audra Eubanks at http://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Eubanks-Audra/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 Audra Eubanks at http://www.mdeq.ms.gov/Eubanks-Audra/ 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: http://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.