DNR Lacks Clear Rules for Industrial Permit Hearings | The Locally Times
State records show the Department of Natural Resources allowed written comments on at least two industrial air permits in early 2026 but denied public hearings, leaving the criteria for such decisions unclear.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources provided a month-long window for public comment on a draft air pollution permit for Superior Industrial Solutions Inc. but scheduled no public hearing for residents, according to state records. The public notice, posted by the DNR and the Missouri Soil and Water Districts Commission, established a comment period from February 6, 2026, to March 8, 2026, for the company’s Draft Intermediate Operating Permit. The notice specified that no public meeting or hearing was scheduled. By limiting public engagement to written submissions, the DNR prevents a live forum where citizens can question regulators, hear from neighbors, and engage in a direct dialogue about potential environmental impacts. The agency’s process for determining when a public hearing is warranted for these permits, which fall under its Air Pollution Control Program, is not defined in publicly available documents, raising questions about transparency. ## A Pattern of Denied Hearings Just one week before the comment period for Superior Industrial Solutions closed, a similar process concluded for another industrial facility. That permit was open for public comment from January 30, 2026, to March 1, 2026. As with the Superior Industrial Solutions permit, the official notice indicated that no public meeting or hearing was scheduled. The repetition of this approach across at least two separate industrial air permits within the first quarter of 2026 establishes a pattern of the DNR opting for written comment periods as the sole avenue for public feedback on these regulatory actions. ## Undefined Criteria for Hearings A review of the public notices for both the Superior Industrial Solutions and Consolidated Grain and Barge permits reveals the documents do not explain the rationale for forgoing a public hearing. The records provide no criteria, thresholds, or guidelines that the DNR’s Air Pollution Control Program uses to decide whether a live public forum is necessary. The available documentation does not specify what level of public interest or potential environmental impact would trigger a mandatory hearing. The records do not state whether the decision rests with a single program manager or a committee, nor do they outline a process for the public to formally request a hearing that has not been scheduled. This absence of documented procedure means residents are left without a clear understanding of how these decisions are made or how they might influence them. The lack of a transparent framework makes it impossible to determine from the public record if the decision to not hold hearings is a routine administrative choice for this type of permit or a specific judgment made in these individual cases. ## Different Permit Types, Different Rules The DNR’s process for public engagement can vary by permit type. A public notice from the Cole County Government, for example, highlights a different process for its application to renew coverage under a statewide general permit for municipal separate storm sewer systems, identified as Missouri Department of Natural Resources General Permit MOR04C. The county planned to submit its renewal application by April 1, 2026. This process for renewing coverage under an existing comprehensive permit differs significantly from the issuance of new, site-specific intermediate operating permits for industrial facilities. This variance in regulatory protocols makes the lack of clear rules for industrial permit hearings more pronounced, as public records do not clarify why a written-only comment period is deemed sufficient for certain air permits while other actions may follow different procedures. The central question raised by the documents remains: what specific internal DNR policies dictate when Missourians are granted a public hearing on industrial projects in their communities, and when they are not?