Neighbors upset with pallet company smoke in Shelbyville
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Shelbyville residents say smoke billows across their neighborhood every day.
Residents say the smoke makes them sick and burns their eyes.
Residents tell Messed up the smoke comes from a nearby pallet company that burns waste wood adjacent to their homes.
Jay Wolfe is 61 years old. He is a Vietnam Vet and two time Purple Heart recipient.
The Shelbyville resident says the smoke is so bad in his neighborhood it has become unbearable for him, for his ailing wife, and for his neighbors.
Residents describe running in and out of their homes, quickly slamming doors to keep smoke from getting in. Neighbors describe beautiful 70 degree days when they want to open windows but cannot. Residents tell me that their neighborhood smells like a campfire night and day.
I call multiple agencies in Shelbyville about the company.
Brian Nicholson is the fire marshal. He tells me he has been to the incinerator and it does not pose a problem and the owner does not need a permit to burn the waste wood inside the city limit.
“They are not required to have a permit,” Nicholson says. “They are burning in a container manufactured for the purpose. We are aware of it. It is no fire hazard whatsoever.”
What about smoke I ask?
“That is an EPA issue,” the fire fighter counters.
David Langford is a city codes official. He tells me that he has been to the incinerator because of complaints from residents.
“I did smell the “pungent” smell of smoke,” he says. “I said let me call Brian Nicholson and see what his fire inspections show. Brian told me the epa had been out there before, the incinerator has a bag system, and at times, if the bag system is too full and not cleaned out it will puff out, smoke will come out.”
I call the air pollution division of T.D.E.C. which tells me that burning waste wood is EXEMPT from any regulatory authority in the state of Tennessee.
While that may be the case, PIO, Meg Lockhart tells me that the agency is investigating whether the company owner needs a permit to operate the incinerator due to the size of the machine and the fact that it runs on gasoline or diesel.
I go to the company for answers. The owner does not wish to go on camera, but by phone he surprises me, telling me that the reason his incinerator is not burning on the day I visit is because he has stopped burning for good.
The owner tells me:
- He is looking at ways to sell the waste material rather than burning it.
- He is tired of complaints from the neighbors and visits from city officials and Messed Up reporters and he wants to be a good neighbor.
- He says he would rather have everyone happy and be a good business man.
I tell neighbors of his decision and they applaud.
The issue is very complex and Meg Lockhart with TDEC sends me a thorough note to explain what has transpired and what might happen in the future. Here a few bullet points from her note:
- Complaint filed Oct. 1 with the Division of Air Pollution Control / Columbia Environmental Field Office
- Investigation found owner once transported waste wood, but started burning it because it was cheaper. That prompted many neighborhood complaints.
- The state’s air quality act says: burning of wood waste is exempt from TDEC’s regulatory authority
- The owner did not have a permit to operate the incinerator. TDEC is investigating whether that is a violation.
- State lawmakers have asked TDEC to investigate whether laws governing wood waste burning should be strengthened.
