A public meeting and hearing will be held Tuesday by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources about the International Paper Co.’s hazardous waste permit modification.
The informational meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. with the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. in the Joplin City Council chambers on the fifth floor at City Hall, 602 S. Main St.
At the informational meeting, a team from the department’s Waste Management Program will present an overview of the draft permit modification. After that, when the hearing begins, no questions will be answered during the hearing. Questions submitted during the public hearing will be responded to in writing, and comments will be entered into the official record. Written comments and oral public hearing testimony are treated with equal consideration, according to the DNR.
Individuals requiring special services or accommodations in order to attend the meeting can make arrangements by contacting Abby Sawyer at least 72 hours before the meeting by telephone at 573-526-5377 or 800-361-4827, or by email at abby.sawyer@dnr.mo.gov. Hearing and speech-impaired individuals may reach Sawyer through Relay Missouri at 800-735-2966.
The Waste Management Program previously invited the public to review and offer written comments on the draft hazardous waste permit modification from March 20 to May 6. Due to public interest, the program is extending the public comment period until June 29.
The draft hazardous waste permit modification and various other documents are available on the Waste Management Program’s website at https://dnr.mo.gov/waste-recycling/what-were-doing/ public-notices.
Not all supporting documents are available on the website due to their size. The public can view and copy all supporting documents at the Joplin Public Library, 1901 E. 20th St. Those also are available through the Missouri DNR by way of a Sunshine Law request. To do so, submit requests to dnr.mo.gov/open-records-sunshine-law-requests.
