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Lower High Falls, Talladega Forest - Bill Wilson
Permit Information

General
An environmental permit is utilized to control emissions to air, land and water ensuring the protection of human health and the environment. Specific constituent limits are assigned for each permit which comply with Federal and State of Alabama standards. If you need additional information please contact our Permits Division.

Pre-application Process
An applicant such as a new industry will usually contact the agency through a representative employed by a local industrial development board or the Alabama Development Office (ADO). During a pre-application conference scheduled through the ADEM Permit Coordination and Development Center (PCDC), the ADEM technical staff, company representatives and usually an environmental engineering consultant discuss specific requirements for the application. Any necessary modeling of wastes discharged to receiving streams or modeling of air emissions is discussed in detail. Specific processing steps and time periods are provided so that the applicant can include these tasks in the overall planning of the project development. In some instances, all necessary media-specific permit applications can be processed on parallel tracks. The PCDC serves as a focal point for permit applications by coordinating communications and administrative functions such as collection of fees and public notices. They also arrange conferences with the applicant and other public agencies as needed to expedite the permit decision process.

Application Review Process
Permits Applications Received (last 30 days)

As mentioned above, applications and the permit processing fees are submitted to the ADEM Permit Coordination and Development Center (PCDC). Upon application receipt, the center enters information about the facility into the permit tracking database. The Department maintains a permit application log which is updated regularly. To view the current log, click on the link above. The media-specific technical staff begins to review and evaluate the information provided in the application to determine completeness and compliance with applicable standards. When the permit application is determined to be complete and in compliance with all standards, a "draft permit" is prepared and a notice of the public comment period is published in a paper of general circulation in the area of the project, as well as on our web page.

Public Comment Period and Hearing
Draft permits are prepared indicating a tentative decision to issue the permit. Comment periods of 15 to 45 days are provided to give the public an opportunity to raise issues, which may cause the draft permit decision to be changed. Significant public interest may cause the department to schedule a public hearing to receive additional technical input before a final decision is made to issue, modify or deny the permit in question. The hearing is not a forum of public debate and the permit decision does not hinge upon the amount of public support or opposition to the project. An environmental permit is not a mechanism for settling zoning differences or industrial plant siting disputes. The permit decision is technical in nature and should not be misunderstood. Public input is most effective when it addresses the technical merit of the pending permit decision.

Comment Evaluation and Response
Following a comment period or a public hearing, a thorough evaluation of the comments is prepared by the technical staff and made available to the members of the public who comment or have expressed an interest in the project. A final permit decision is made by the department following this evaluation of comments.


Contact Information

ADEM
Attn: Permit & Services Division
Post Office Box 301463
Montgomery, Alabama 36130-1463
(334) 271-7714
(334) 271-7950 Fax