NCDEQ opens public comment on Egger air permit revision in Davidson County
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comments on proposed revisions to an air quality permit for the Egger-Lexington Particleboard Plant in Davidson County.
The plant, operated by Egger Wood Products LLC, currently has an air quality permit that allows it to operate as a major source, according to DEQ’s Division of Air Quality. The company has requested a permit modification that would allow it to increase the amount of resin used each year and increase the content of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants in the resin.
If approved, the change would increase the facility’s potential to emit volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants. DEQ said those emissions would be subject to best available control technology, and hazardous air pollutant emissions would still be required to meet federal standards for plywood and composite wood products.
The agency said the potential emissions of other pollutants would remain unchanged.
According to DEQ, air dispersion modeling reviewed by the Division of Air Quality found that the proposed increase in volatile organic compound emissions is not expected to cause a violation of federal health-based air quality standards. The modeling also found that formaldehyde emissions from the manufacturing process are not expected to exceed the state’s acceptable ambient level.
The draft permit includes conditions intended to ensure pollutants emitted by the facility comply with applicable standards beyond the facility’s fence line. Egger would also be subject to recordkeeping, reporting requirements and regular inspections.
The Division of Air Quality said it will consider all public comments before making a final decision on the proposed permit.
Comments and requests for a public hearing will be accepted through July 9. Comments may be emailed to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov with “Egger.24A” in the subject line. Comments may also be submitted by voicemail at 919-707-8714 or by mail to NCDEQ Division of Air Quality, 1641 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1641.
Copies of the public notice, draft permit, draft permit review, permit application, community profile report and project fact sheet are available through DEQ.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
