Proposed southeast Idaho Energy facility gets air permit 

A voluntary agreement has been reached on a revised air quality permit that incorporates new limits on carbon dioxide emissions from the proposed Southeast Idaho Energy clean-coal gasification fertilizer production facility in Power County, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said Nov. 30.

The agreement to include regulation of carbon dioxide in the Southeast Idaho Energy permit was negotiated by representatives of the company, the s and the Idaho Conservation League, the state Department of Environmental Quality said in a release. Carbon dioxide currently is not a regulated air pollutant, although efforts are being considered at the federal level to regulate greenhouse gas emissions including carbon dioxide, the department said.

Justin Hayes, program director for the Idaho Conservation League, said in the release that Idaho will reap the economic benefits of this new industry and the environmental benefits of stringent air quality requirements. “This is proof that jobs and environmental protection can go hand in hand if we work together,” he said.

An earlier version of the permit, which the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued in February, did not include limits on carbon dioxide emissions. The Sierra Club and the Idaho Conservation League challenged it on the basis that, though not required, limits on carbon dioxide were warranted to protect air quality in the region. The groups then met with Southeast Idaho Energy officials to negotiate an agreement that would enable carbon dioxide limits to be included in the air quality permit.

The new permit expires if construction does not start within 18 months of the permit’s issue date, is suspended for 18 months or is not completed in a reasonable time, the Department of Environmental Quality said.

The permit can be accessed here:

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality said it agreed to include the enforceable carbon dioxide limits in the Southeast Idaho Energy permit but does not intend to include greenhouse gas emissions limits in future air quality permits until federal regulations have been finalized.

“We appreciate the willingness of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Sierra Club, and the Idaho Conservation League to work with us in structuring a settlement that meets the needs of all parties,” Ramesh Raman, president of Southeast Idaho Energy, said in the release. Carbon capture and sequestration have always been a fundamental part of the company’s overall business plan, and the revised permit demonstrates the company’s commitment to being an environmentally responsible neighbor, he said.

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