The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has put a draft air quality permit on public notice through October 23 for Ardent Mills Flour Mill in Hastings. Ardent Mills Flour Mill produces wheat flour. The mill’s main processes are the transfer, handling, milling, and storage of grain. The facility also has a boiler and an emergency generator. The draft permit is an amendment to the facility’s air quality permit and authorizes the construction of several new emissions units. The draft air permit includes limits for particulate matter emissions and testing for particulate matter, as well as a requirement to install an air quality monitor for particulate matter less than ten microns. An air quality operating permit is required for certain existing facilities or the construction of new facilities that have the potential to emit a significant level of any regulated pollutant. The permit includes all requirements for operation and procedures, applicable rules, emission standards, monitoring, record-keeping, and reporting. If additional conditions change and modifications are necessary, the MPCA may review and amend the permit.
