Verde Valley News – The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced today its termination of a Consent Order with Minerals Research, Inc. (MRI). Effective immediately, this action revokes MRI’s authorization to operate its facility located at 705 E Birch St. in Cottonwood, Arizona, until ADEQ reaches a decision on MRI’s pending air quality permit application, which ADEQ received on Oct. 31, 2023.
ADEQ terminated the Consent Order based on certified results received on Feb. 13, 2024, which showed the facility failed a performance test conducted on Jan. 31, 2024. This failed performance test indicated the facility was not meeting a strict emission limit condition in the Consent Order.
ADEQ is currently reviewing MRI’s air quality permit application and expects to make proposed air quality permit documents available to the public for review and comment in the coming months. The air quality permitting process involves a comprehensive review of emissions calculations and associated air dispersion modeling and development of a draft air quality permit and technical supporting document. ADEQ will make the permit documents available for public comment, and conduct both an informal community meeting and a formal public hearing for the draft air quality permit prior to making a final permit decision.
ADEQ Ambient Air Quality Monitoring
At a community meeting ADEQ conducted on Dec. 13, 2023, in partnership with the City of Cottonwood, ADEQ committed to conduct ambient air quality monitoring for particulate matter and heavy metals in the vicinity of MRI’s facility. ADEQ set up ambient air quality monitoring equipment at the two locations discussed at the community meeting – the Cottonwood Kids Park and the Veterans of Foreign Wars – and trained local volunteers on how to assist ADEQ with the project. Ambient air quality monitoring commenced on Feb. 15, 2024. ADEQ will conduct air quality monitoring as long as it takes to obtain the quality data necessary to provide to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) for its planned health consultation. Data collected when MRI is not operating will represent background concentrations, and serve as a baseline to compare with potential additional ambient air quality monitoring ADEQ would conduct if a new air quality permit is issued and the facility recommences operations.
ADEQ Preliminary Investigation (PI)
ADEQ has initiated a PI under our state Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF) program. The PI is focused on potential impacts to soil and groundwater associated with the slag pile located at the MRI facility and in the surrounding area. In addition to conducting a review of available historical reports and environmental data regarding operations and activities in the area of the MRI facility, ADEQ is in the process of obtaining access to the facility property, surrounding areas, and any groundwater wells that may be present and available to sample. Pending access, ADEQ will collect soil and groundwater samples for laboratory testing as part of the PI. ADEQ anticipates that the PI, including data evaluation, will take six to eight months to complete, following which ADEQ will determine what, if any, additional action may be warranted. ADEQ also will share all data collected for the PI with ADHS.
Background
In September 2023, ADEQ issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to MRI based on a determination that the company did not have the appropriate air quality permit for its operations. The NOV required the company to submit an application for a new air quality permit. Due to the extensive timeframe and process for considering and reaching a decision on an application for the new air quality permit required, ADEQ and MRI agreed to enter into a legally binding agreement called a Consent Order. The Consent Order, executed on Oct. 12, 2023, specified the interim, stringent operational limits and air pollution control requirements MRI must implement at the facility to protect public health.
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17 Comments
Great but we have an Orange Insurrectionist Idiot who wants to “drill baby drill” and “dig baby dig”especially on reserved unscathed Federal lands usually Tribal Lands by Formalized Treaties. And he gets off reversing sensible decisions like this because his Uber Wealthy supporters and mentally feeble flockee’s get off on them.
JB, you need to ween yourself off the Kool-Aid that the Fascist media is constantly feeding you. That stuff is killing your brain cells.
I get my information from reputable accredited sources and you continue watching your self confessed in court news parodies at FOX, OAN, Brain Wars, Der Stormer and whatever other Alternative Fact outlets you ascribe to!
DebKC,
I saw you out in front of Sr Bobs waving your MAGA (I love Putin and Hate Democracy) flags in 2015 and 2020. You didn’t happen to visit our nations Capitol on Jan 6th did you?
Go Team! Right?
Many Holocaust survivors have stated that the Nazi’s were defective inhumane criminals but were not the monsters. They’ve stated that rather, the monsters were those who stayed silent while the Nazi’s committed their horrendous atrocities.
The NOTsee’s of the MAGA party are the monsters of its Reich in the making!
So I’m going to be here every chance I have to incessantly call you out!
It’s the human and M’erican thing to do!
Do not talk for Holocaust victims. That is wrong. You are talking a lot of nonsense. Shame on you !!!
Hey George first of all I wasn’t speaking for them I was quoting them. There’s a Yuge difference there Trumpy! But you aren’t Bigly Smartest enough to know the difference.
Second I am of Jewish decent and have ancestors who fled Poland and Hungary during WWII. And unlike the Orange Turd and his Draft Dodging Family my family has served this country since WWI so I think I can speak freely upon the subject. I’m not an anti semite like the Nazi’s who spelled out how they want to destroy and replace our Democracy at the RNC/Klan CPAC fund grifting event 2 days ago!
Lastly I can say whatever I want isn’t that right Mr Constitutional Amendments?
Do not talk for Holocaust victims. That is wrong. You are talking a lot of nonsense. Shame on you !!!
Funny how the Fascist MAGGOTS call AMERICANS who believe in Democracy Fascist, Socialist, Communist, Libtards etc. when they haven’t a clue as to what any one of those ideologies is about except Facism which they fully embrace and endorse but don’t recognize they are Fascist when in fact they are!
Keep on making Russia Great Again-MAGGOT!
Love One Another ……….. Kindness is the way to build a better Cottonwood. We mature, and collaborate for the benevolence of all concerned. Division is the distraction ! Again, Love One Another !!!
I love my fellow human/American s. I despise the destruction of our Democracy. I think that’s a humane trait is it not?
I also love our earth and all of the marine, plant and animal life that share it with us. So wanting to preserve that is not hateful while wanting to mindlessly destroy it most definitely is!
JB, you need serious help. People like you are the problem. Relax bro, you are unhinged.
What am I the problem with? Why do I need help and not the anti Democracy MAGA movement?
Don’t like my pro Democracy pro American position? That’s ok you’ll help make us Russian servants if Dump and Putine get their way and then you can live in your all white utopia as their servants like they did to Eastern Europeans during the Cold War.
Only problem I am for you is that I speak truth to power and weak minds can’t handle that kind of honesty!
Our current administration is owned by China. Russia Russia Russia, is all you Kool aide drinking peeps cry out. Meanwhile China owns the current administration. If you can’t see that you are blind. The last poster was right, you need serious help. Is this your life? Co.me on man, get help.
Sure thing Bryce you keep on keeping on ya NOTsee!
How does China “own” Biden when he isn’t sharing national secrets with Xi over “the mostest beautifulist chocolate cake everest” like the Orange Insurrectionist did. He isn’t professing his love and admiration of Putin, XI or Hamas either but the Orange Insurrectionist sure is!
Say whatever you want but your POV is NOT supported by real facts and evidence, alternative facts maybe but mostly insane anti American conspiracy spread by the Orange Furher’s NOTsee propaganda machine!
Now go back to watching WWE or whatever mindless nonsense you morons watch and think is real like OAN and FOX Parody News! You should be very proud of yourself for helping to destroy our country.
Wake up NOTsee’s you’re making M’erica everything it fought against in our War of Independence, Civil War (if your ancestors weren’t Insurrectionists as well) WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Honduras, El Salvador, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Syria, Jordon and so on!
Your blind hatred of your fellow M’ericans and Democracy fall into the hands of our enemies FOREIGN and DOMESTICALLY ORANGE and they have molded your feeble minds via social media.
Shouting your madness into the wind Pleases Putine, Un, XI and btw the entire Iranian Regime the supposed enemy of all enemies according to the GOP every time they mention it and yet they refuse to counter them in Ukraine because Dump and Putine told them NOT to give Ukraine anything ever again!
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