RYAM Neighbor Files for Hearing on Air Quality Permit

Tom Budd, who is a member of a coalition of local conservation groups and concerned citizens, has filed for a formal administrative hearing with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) regarding the request for air quality permit that was submitted by RYAM (Rayonier Advanced Materials) on November 13, 2023. The application states that RYAM would produce 7.5 million gallons of bioethanol annually.

A newly formed umbrella organization calling itself NoEthanolFernandina, including concerned citizens, Conserve Nassau, and the Nassau County Sierra Club, are engaging community support of Budd, whose property lies about 100 yards from the RYAM sulfite production facility. His petition to FDEP for an administrative hearing states that because of the close proximity of his property he is a person who is significantly affected by RYAM’s request to permit a second generation bioethanol production process on their Gum Street property.

The petition disputes the data that was used in RYAM’s air construction permit as incomplete and inaccurate.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection had notified RYAM of its plans to issue an air permit for the company’s proposed bioethanol production facility at the Gum Street plant. The request for administrative hearing states that, since Rayonier Performance Fibers LLC is a Title V major source of air pollution that the request to construct a bioethanol plant is not exempt from a Potential Significant Deterioration (PSD) review under FDEP statutes and regulations. It requests a PSD review of greenhouse gas emissions and a denial of a final air quality permit.