Supporters say the plant will bring much-needed jobs to George County, and help the timber industry.

Critics say air pollution remains a key concern, and permit doesn't adequately address it.

MDEQ board head says he hadn't reviewed modeling that shows air quality impacts of facility.

A state environmental board on Tuesday approved the air quality permit for what could be the largest wood pellet plant in the world, opening the door for the controversial southeast Mississippi facility to break ground later this summer.

Environmental groups and other opponents of the plant, proposed by Maryland-based Enviva, raised concerns in recent months about dust and other air contaminants that would be emitted by the facility, and a lack of state-mandated controls. But the Mississippi Environmental Quality Permit Board unanimously signed off on the permit with little discussion.

State leaders, including Gov. Phil Bryant and Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, say the plant will be an economic boon for Lucedale and George County, and boost a struggling timber market in the southeast corner of the state. The state and George County have offered the company millions of dollars in tax breaks and other financial assistance.

The permit board on Tuesday opted to accept the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality staff's recommendation. Staff said the plant's design has adequate pollution controls after reviewing an environmental group's modeling that said it would cause violations of the federal Clean Air Act.

What Enviva, supporters say

Enviva officials say they plan to start construction of the $140 million facility in Lucedale, and an associated $60 million port terminal in Pascagoula, in coming months. The pellets will be shipped overseas to be burned in biofuel plants.

"We appreciate the diligent and hard work on the permitting process by MDEQ and the permit board and are thankful to all of our supporters during this process," Yana Kravtsova, Enviva's vice president of environmental affairs, said in a statement. "We look forward to becoming an active participant of the local economy, providing new jobs in Mississippi and becoming a strong member of the local community.”

The plant and port terminal are expected to employ a combined 120 people. The county slashed Enviva's property taxes to help attract it to Lucedale, and the state and federal government have offered more than a combined $5 million in perks, including upgrades to the business park where the plant will be built and a new rail spur to move pellets to the port.

Doug Lee, a former mayor of Lucedale, said the project is "much needed" for its economic benefits. "With y'all's oversight, Enviva will do right, and it will be good for our community, and good for our state," Lee told the permit board.

What are the concerns?

An analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project found the plant's small particulate matter, nitrogen oxide emissions and other air pollutants would cause Clean Air Act violations. It also raised concerns about "fugitive" wood dust entering nearby neighborhoods, a cause of complaints at similar facilities around the Southeast.

Krystal Rudolph, MDEQ's environmental permit division chief, said Enviva agreed to install several devices that would keep pollution and dust at a minimum. Comments from the Environmental Integrity Project and other groups including the NAACP were "thoroughly examined" by the staff, she said. In response, several tweaks were made to the permit. They include requiring more pollution testing.

Some concerned groups and residents don't buy it. "The board must not approve this permit absent a convincing demonstration by DEQ that the permit's pollution control loopholes will not result in unhealthy air quality," said Frank Figgers, a Jackson resident who attended the meeting. He mentioned a provision in the permit allowing pollution controls to be turned off during certain startup and shutdown periods.

"I feel like it was a done deal all along," Kathy Egland, an NAACP representative who lives in Gulfport, said of the permit. "This industry, Enviva, has a terrible track record in other states. We are allowing them to come in under the most (relaxed) of standards. And that is a disservice to the state of Mississippi."

Residents have complained of dust and other pollution at several pellet facilities around the region, including Enviva's Amory plant. Enviva recently agreed to add pollution controls to a North Carolina facility after environmental groups brought a legal complaint.

Minimal discussion from permit board

Egland said the board should've allowed another full hearing so attendees of Tuesday's meetings could air concerns. The board allowed two people to speak. "To come here and be denied our voice, I just feel slammed, I feel betrayed by an agency that is supposed to be protecting us," she said.

In a statement, six groups including the NAACP, Dogwood Alliance and Healthy Gulf also criticized the board for a "formality" of a meeting with a limited public comment period. The groups also said MDEQ did "nothing to address the fundamental problems with the permit."

Board Chairman Chris McDonald told the Clarion Ledger he had not reviewed the Environmental Integrity Project's air modeling, but trusted the MDEQ staff recommendation. "We don't get into the weeds at that level," he said of the board, adding the pellet plant would offer a "large impact" for the economy of George County.

Andrew Whitehurst works for Healthy Gulf and previously served on the same permit board when he worked for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Whitehurst told the Clarion Ledger he wasn't surprised by the permit's swift approval, considering the Gov. Bryant and other state officials have advocated for Enviva to build in Mississippi for several years, and offered the company millions of dollars in financial assistance. He joked it would be easier to install an ATM machine on the front of MDEQ's building "with a slot for credit cards, and a big green button that says, 'Get permit.'"

"This wasn't about air quality, this was about economic development. And they make the air work, they make the permit work," Whitehurst said.

He added: "The state had too much invested in this to back off, and do anything but give Enviva everything they wanted."

More:World's largest pellet mill could boost Mississippi's economy. But will it hurt environment, residents?

More:We should welcome Enviva pellet plant into our community. Here's why.

More:Mississippi deserves better than Enviva's wood pellet mill

Contact Luke Ramseth at 601-961-7050 or lramseth@gannett.com. Follow @lramseth on Twitter. Please support our work at the Clarion Ledger by subscribing.