WILMINGTON – Hardwood distributor Tima Capital Inc. is asking for a permit to become the country’s largest user of the chemical insecticide methyl bromide, also called bromomethane, increasing its use of the toxin tenfold, the Port City Daily reported.
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Jamie Kritzer said the new Title V permit would allow higher levels of use — as much as 90 tons.
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Tima Capital’s request for a modified permit requires a public comment period, which ends March 25. To comment on Tima Capital’s application, contact Urva Patel at NCDEQ by phone at 919-707-8405 or by mail, Urva Patel, 1641 Mail Service Center N.C. Division of Air Quality, Raleigh, NC 27699-1641. Comments must be postmarked no later than March 25.
According to 2016 EPA data, that would make Tima Capital the largest emitter of methyl bromide in the U.S. The next largest user is Eastman Chemical Co. in Kingsport, Tennessee, which emitted slightly more than 50 tons in 2016.
The facility’s current permit expires at the end of May. The company is applying to take over the permit originally issued to Royal Pest Solutions, the company that performs the methyl bromide spraying at the Tima log-preparation facility. The 2013 permit allowed under 10 tons of methyl bromide a year, the new permit allows for a range of use, with a minimum of 31.2 ton and a maximum of 62.4 tons a year.
