Prepared By Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC
The Environmental Practice Group of the Brunini Law Firm publishes a summary of the proceedings of each monthly meeting of the Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board and of the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality. We strive to provide, in a succinct newsletter format, the key points addressed in each meeting that will be of interest to the regulated community in Mississippi.
If you have any questions concerning the content of a newsletter it would like further information about the matters addressed in a newsletter, please contact John Milner, the Brunini Firm Environmental Practice Group leader, at jmilner@brunini.com or (601) 960-6842.
Meeting Summary
The Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board (Board) convened its regular monthly meeting at 9:00 a.m. on January 13, 2015 at the offices of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in Jackson. Mrs. Leslie Royals, PE chaired the meeting. The Board approved minutes from the December meeting and all non-controversial actions/certifications by the staff since the December meeting. Following a prepared agenda, items considered were as follows:
OFFICE OF GEOLOGY
In accordance with staff’s recommendations, the Board approved the following surface mining bond releases and permits to approve.
Surface Mining Bond Releases:
Permittee |
County |
Permit |
Staff Recommendation |
Ausbern Construction Co., Inc. |
Winston |
P11-011 |
Final 10% release |
Baldwin Sand & Gravel |
Lowndes |
P02-029A |
Additional 40% release |
Joe McGee Construction, Inc. |
Lincoln |
P06-010T1A |
Initial 55% release |
Oddee Smith Construction, Inc. |
Lincoln |
P11-002 |
Final 20% release |
Mr. James Matheny of MDEQ staff recommended approval of the following surface mining permits. Neighboring property owners submitted letters of concern regarding both permits, but subsequently withdrew their concerns after discussions with MDEQ staff.
Surface Mining Permit Approvals:
Permittee |
County |
Permit |
Staff Recommendation |
Hutchinson Island Mining Corporation |
Pearl River |
P99-033AA |
Approve |
Hammett Gravel Inc., Kuhn Mine # One |
Holmes |
P10-002AA |
Approve |
OTHER BUSINESS:
Mr. Roy Furrh, MDEQ Legal Counsel reminded the Permit Board members that they need to file their annual statement of intent.
Mr. Furrh also stated that the revised Permit Board Rules and Regulations of Practice for Evidentiary Hearings will be available for public review and comment shortly and are expected to go before the Board for approval on March 10, 2015.
The next Permit Board meeting will be held on Feb. 10, 2015 at 9 a.m.
This Newsletter is a publication of the Environmental Department of the law firm of Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes located in Jackson, Mississippi. This Newsletter is not designed or intended to provide legal or professional advice, as any such advice requires the consideration of the facts of the specific situation.
IRS Circular 230 Notice
To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that, unless specifically indicated otherwise, any tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding tax-related penalties under the Internal Revenue Code, or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any tax-related matter addressed herein.