The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is recommending approval of a state operating permit for Northrop Grumman, even as environmental managers raise seven specific objections to the application. The permit would allow the company to release 24.9 tons of hazardous air pollutants annually from a planned advanced electronics assembly and testing facility near Waynesboro.
The proposed emissions include volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. A staff report from the DEQ Valley Regional Office highlights the facility's location near Coyner Springs, which houses the city water treatment plant. A creek in the area flows into the South River, potentially impacting downstream communities.
The report notes that 352 planned senior apartments and dense commercial areas are within a quarter-mile of the site, while three schools and a hospital are within four miles.
Trevor Wallace, the air permit manager for the Valley Regional Office, stated in a May 21 memo that the emissions could affect the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Shenandoah National Park. Despite these concerns, the regional office advised the state agency to approve the request.
An environmental manager outlined several technical deficiencies in the draft permit. The objections note that the document lacks enforceable limits for methyl isobutyl ketone hourly emissions and polysulfide odor control that were described in the engineering analysis. The manager argued that the permit should include specific requirements for charcoal and HEPA filters, which are currently missing.
Critics also pointed out that the public cannot fully evaluate the permit because the draft statement of policy does not include conditions for spray booths, solvent recovery, and cooling towers. The manager urged the DEQ to make the minor new source review permit available for public comment. Additionally, the equipment list in the draft permit labels specifications as informational only, which weakens enforceability.
