A public hearing will be held on a proposed barge cleaning facility to be located on the Mississippi River near BREC’s Farr Park Equestrian Center, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality says, but it’s not clear yet when or where the hearing will take place.
Concerns about the facility—which Texas-based Tubal-Cain Marine Services officials say they’ve been working on for more than a year—arose recently when a Riverbend homeowner’s association was notified that DEQ was conducting a permit review of the project. Homeowners in the area and BREC officials have since called for more information on the project in general, as well as specifics on the kinds of chemicals that will be used at the facility and subsequent air pollution issues.
DEQ spokesman Greg Langley says the department is not legally required to hold a public hearing but is in the process of nailing down a date and time for one.
“We do want to hear their concerns about the project and be fair to everyone as we go through the permitting process, including the applicant as well as those who live in the area,” Langley says.
As for what DEQ will do with the comments it receives, Langley says, “We’ll take them under consideration, and normally there is a response to comments that is published on our website at some point following the hearing.” —Steve Sanoski
