State legislator opposes proposed AVX emissions

State Representative Alan Clemmons, (R) Myrtle Beach, has written formal letters to the the director of South Carolina Department of Health and to U. S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R) South Carolina, opposing AVX Corporation’s requested air permit. AVX applied for a permit with SC DHEC to release more than 14,000 pounds of toluene and 16,000 pounds of ethanol, methanol and proponol into the air in Myrtle Beach annually.

In his letter to SCDHEC Director Earl Hunter, Clemmons made the case that Myrtle Beach is heavily populated and serves a large tourism population.  Clemmons wrote, “I am very concerned by the impact of dumping twelve tons of hazardous air pollutants annually, together with a yearly release of another sixteen and a half tons of volatile organic compounds.”

Clemmons told Hunter he feared the release of the emissions could have a negative impact on thousands of residents and tourists located within a 2 ½ mile radius of its electronics plant, which is located at 17th Avenue South in Myrtle Beach.  Already, homeowners in that community have joined in suing AVX, claiming their property values have plummeted since word got out about trichloroethane found in groundwater in the vicinity of the plant.

Clemmons encouraged DHEC to use “every environmental tool available to protect the residents and tourists of Myrtle Beach,” and he pledged to help with legislation, if needed.

Meanwhile, Clemmons informed Senator Graham of his concerns that, according to SC DHEC, there is no federal regulation that addresses hazardous air pollutant emissions from new sources.  He solicited Graham’s help in getting the Environmental Protection Agency’s involvement to assist DHEC in making sure environmental standards are “current and correct”.  “I would also request that the EPA accept this proposed release as a violation of the Clean Air Act,” Clemmons wrote.  He said that, in turn, would require an Environmental Impact Statement of AVX. 

SC DHEC had scheduled a meeting to allow the community a chance to voice its concerns about the AVX’s permit request for Thursday August 28th.  However, that meeting was set to take place at a local church, and DHEC has since postponed that meeting.  In an open letter, Elizabeth Basil, Director of the Engineering Services Division of the Bureau of Air Quality said, “Based on community response to the air permit application, this location may not be able to accommodate the number of people expected at the meeting.”  Basil stated the new date and location would be communicated.