On May 30, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) was ordered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reopen and revise its Hermosa Project Air Quality Permit as issued on Aug. 26, 2024. The current modified Draft Permit, a 199-page PDF, is here and accompanying Technical Support Document (TSD) is found here as a 50-page PDF.
A 30-day comment period for written public responses is now underway, concluding on Sept. 25. Details about making written comments are available at this web page.
ADEQ will conduct a public hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Multi-purpose room of the Patagonia High School, 200 Naugle Way that will allow for comments to be made in person. The agency appreciates it if spoken comments are accompanied by written ones.
It is important to note that this hearing is not an open door for venting about state agency behavior, impacts of local or other mining projects or other environmental issues. Instead, comments need to be focused, in ADEQ’s words, “on only those permit conditions that are being amended in this permitting action and the associated technical support document. Grounds for comment are limited to whether the permit meets the criteria for issuance spelled out in the State air pollution control laws or rules.”
The State’s air pollution laws are, with amendments, derived from Federal regulation—the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. More information about these and about 30 other primary environmental regulations acts are available from the EPA.