Source: NCDEQ, 3/22/22 (Updated 3/23/22)
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)’s Division of Water Resources will hold the first of four public meetings April 5 and April 7 in Duplin and Sampson counties on draft Animal Waste Management Digester System General Permits. Members of the public are invited to attend and submit comments on the draft permits. A virtual meeting is being held April 21 for those who cannot attend an in-person meeting. A third in-person meeting is planned in Statesville on April 19. The three draft General Permits cover the installation and
operation of digester systems at existing swine, cattle and wet poultry
operations. The Digester System General Permit drafts are available online. Permits will be finalized by
June 30, 2022, as directed by statute. DEQ is conducting these meetings as part of its commitment to a
transparent public engagement process during the development of the general
permits. During this process, the Department held two technical stakeholder
workgroup meetings and a virtual public input session in late 2021. A summary
of the stakeholder workgroup and recording of the input session is available
online. The upcoming public meetings on the Draft General Permits will
begin at 6 p.m. The meetings will be facilitated by an independent moderator.
Members of the public who wish to speak at the meetings will be able to sign up
upon arrival.
- April 5, 2022: James Sprunt Community College, Monk Auditorium, 133 James Sprunt Drive, Kenansville 28349 (Duplin County)
- April 7, 2022: Sampson County Exposition Center, 414 Warsaw Road, Clinton 28328 (Sampson County)
A virtual meeting will also be held through Webex at 6 p.m. on
April 21, 2022, for those unable to attend the in-person hearings: https://bit.ly/3FFGRLL | Event
number: 2436 024 6769 Event password: NCDEQ (62337 from phones) Join by phone: 415-655-0003 | Access
code: 2436 024 6769 Members of the public who wish to speak at the virtual meeting
should sign up online by 4 p.m. on April
21. For those who cannot attend the meetings, public input can be
submitted until May 2, 2022 via email to PublicCommentsDWR@ncdenr.gov, or
by leaving a voicemail at 919-707-9129. Comments can also be mailed to the address listed below: Ramesh Ravella
Animal Feeding Operations,
NC Division of Water Resources
1636 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1636
Phone: 919-707-9129 Currently, digester systems are processed as modifications to a facility’s existing permit. Section 11 of the 2021 Farm Act (Senate Bill 605)
established specific requirements for the development of the Digester System
General Permits. The new general permits will include all of the existing and
enforceable requirements of the 2019 State General Animal Waste Management Permits, including developing and maintaining a Certified Animal Waste
Management Plan, and complying with siting, buffer, testing, inspection and
reporting requirements. Additional information and updates on the stakeholder process are
available online. If you plan to attend in-person and need interpretation services,
please let us know by March 29 by calling 919-609-2189.
Si planea asistir en persona y necesita servicios de
interpretación, infórmenos antes del 29 de marzo llamando al 919-609-2189.
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