The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality permit board on Wednesday reversed a decision from earlier this year and granted wood pellet manufacturer Drax a permit that allows it to release more emissions from a facility in Gloster, in the rural southwestern corner of the state.
The board held a two-day evidentiary hearing after denying the company the permit in April. The permit falls under Title V of the Clean Air Act and allows Drax’s facility Amite BioEnergy, to become a “major source” of Hazardous Air Pollutants, or HAPs.
The board voted unanimously in favor of granting the permit said Kim Turner, a state assistant attorney general who served as hearing officer. Evidence from the hearing “sufficiently addressed” concerns the board previously had over Drax’s compliance history, Turner said.
MDEQ has found the facility in violation multiple times since Drax opened the Amite County plant in 2016. Last year, the agency fined Drax $250,000 for releasing over 50% more than its permitted limit of HAPs while it was a “minor source.” In 2020, MDEQ fined Drax $2.5 million for underestimating its release of Volatile Organic Compounds since 2016.
For years since learning that the company had underestimated its emissions, nearby Gloster residents alleged that air pollutants, dust and noise from the facility were causing an array of health issues. Several who testified to MDEQ and people who spoke to Mississippi Today reported issues such as headaches, dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing. Nonprofit Greater Greener Gloster represented those residents as an intervenor in the hearing and asked the permit board to affirm its April decision.
Protesters rally outside the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. Demonstrators gathered as officials considered a permit that would set limits on how much pollution Drax can release into the air. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi TodayDrax applied for the permit in order to better reflect its production capacity. Since violating the current permit, Amite BioEnergy has had to decrease its pellet output. The company maintained a commitment to staying in compliance going forward, advertising the facility’s ability to automatically shut off when emissions exceeded legal limits.
It argued that the new regulation would be more stringent than any other the company has at its 17 locations in North America.
“ What we’re asking you to do is confirm that if a company works with MDEQ to develop a technically sound, environmentally protective permit which is feasible and enforceable, then that company can do business in Mississippi,” said Abram Orlansky, an attorney for Drax.
The United Kingdom-based company turns locally sourced wood into pellets that it then ships to other countries for their clean energy goals, although many scientists believe the practice is actually more harmful than other energy sources in terms of net carbon emissions. Drax and other wood pellet companies have faced a wave of both local and international scrutiny for repeated air emissions violations across multiple Southern states.
The distinction of a major source means that the wood pellet facility no longer has a limit on how many tons of HAPs it can release into the air, but it also means the facility has to follow stricter limits over the rate at which it can release the pollutants.
Operations resume at Drax in Gloster, Miss., on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Some Gloster residents are concerned with the industrial pollution caused by the company that produces wood pellets in the town. Credit: Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi TodayExtended exposure of large amounts of HAPs can increase the chances of health effects such as cancer, damage to the immune system, neurological, reproductive, developmental and respiratory issues among other symptoms, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Much of the hearing’s debate centered on the facility’s “control efficiency,” or how much of its HAPs it could destroy before releasing. While the permit MDEQ presented outlined a 96% destruction rate, witness testimony argued the facility could achieve a 99% rate, which would yield a quarter of the potentially harmful emissions.
“These devices, as installed, could be operated a lot better,” said Ranajit Sahu, an engineering consultant.
Yet, MDEQ Air Division Chief Jaricus Whitlock said no place he has seen requires such a high rate.
In contrast with April’s hearing, attendees on Tuesday and Wednesday included a dozen or so people with blue “Drax” stickers supporting the company’s permit application. Matt White, the company’s executive vice president, said the local community supported Drax because of its job creation and tax contributions. While Drax staff testified that most of the facility’s employees live within an 11-mile radius of the plant, they could not say how many live in Gloster.
Krystal Martin, founder of Greater Greener Gloster, said after the hearing that she wasn’t sure about the group’s next steps but would consult with their lawyers.
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