Prepared By Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC
The Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board (“Board”) convened at 9:00 a.m. on May 11, 2021. This meeting was held through a telephone conference call and the public was invited to listen to the deliberations of the Board. The Board first approved minutes from the previous meetings held on April 6, 2021, April 13, 2021 and April 23, 2021 and the non-controversial actions/ certifications completed by the staff since the February meeting. Then, following a prepared agenda, the Board considered items as follows:
OFFICE OF GEOLOGY
Ron Porter (MDEQ Office of Geology, Mining and Reclamation) presented the MDEQ Staff’s recommendations and Board approved the following:
Surface Mining Bond Release
| Permittee | County | Permit | Staff Recommendation |
| A&P Gravel, LLC | Pearl River | P16-020 | Final 10% |
SURFACE MINING PERMIT TRANSFERS
| Chris Albritton Construction Co., Inc. to Connor Ethridge | Lauderdale | P10-032T |
| Tim Burton to Eutaw Construction Company, Inc. | Tishomingo | P09-012T |
Other Business
Roy Furrh, MDEQ Chief Counsel, asked that the public send any documentation directly to MDEQ staff rather than directly to him or the Permit Board members. Staff will then provide documentation to him and the Board members. Krystal Rudolph with the Office of Pollution Control’s Environmental Permit Division added further that if comments are submitted directly to the Board members during a public comment period rather than to staff, then those comments are not included in the public record.
Mr. Furrh noted to the Board that appeals have been filed relating to the evidentiary hearings for both Gold Coast Commodities, Inc. and Mississippi State Port Authority Water Quality Certification.
Mr. Furrh reminded the Board that new officer elections will be held at the June 8, 2021 Board meeting. It is customary that officers rotated among the different state departments which the Board members represent. He further went to say that Les Herrington is currently in the rotation to become Chair for this coming election. He thanked outgoing Board Chair Jennifer Whitman for her service for this last year. New officers will take office effective as of the July meeting to coincide with the State of Mississippi’s fiscal year.
The next Permit Board meeting will be held on June 8, 2021, at 9 a.m.
This Newsletter is a publication of the Environmental Practice Group 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.
If you have any questions concerning the content of a newsletter, or if you 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.