The N.C. Division of Air Quality Conservation has rescheduled a public hearing on a draft air quality permit for a proposed asphalt plant in Onslow County, with the new date set for OCtober 1. A previously scheduled hearing on the permit was postponed due to snow and ice. Morton Trucking, Inc. has applied for a permit to build and operate a hot mix asphalt plant at 121 Garnet Lane in Jacksonville, N.C. The permit deals with the control of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and other air emissions from the proposed plant. The public hearing has been scheduled for 6 p.m. October 1 at White Oak High School, 1001 Piney Green Road, Jacksonville, N.C. Individuals may register to speak at the hearing and/or submit written comments. Written comments will be accepted until October 11 and can be sent to: Dean Carroll, Permit Engineer, N.C. Division of Air Quality, Wilmington Regional Office, 127 Cardinal Drive Extension, Wilmington, N.C. 28405, or by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . People who wish to speak at the hearing should plan to limit their comments to three minutes or less. The hearing officer will have the discretion to limit speaking times, if necessary, to accommodate the number of speakers. Under the permit, Morton Trucking must demonstrate it can comply with state and federal rules for controlling particulate matter, sulfur dioxide and other air emissions. Under the proposed permit, the facility would use a bag filter as the primary means for controlling emissions. By law, the Division of Air Quality must review permits for compliance with air quality regulations. The division has no authority over zoning, land use or where a company decides to locate a facility. Local governments are responsible for regulating land use. The draft permit may be viewed online at http://daq.state.nc.us/cgi-bin/perm_draftrev.cgi, or at the DAQ Wilmington Regional Office, 127 Cardinal Drive Extension, Wilmington, N.C. 28405. A contact number for the Wilmington Regional Office is (910) 796-7215. The draft permit may also be seen at the DAQ Central Office, Permits Section, 2728 Capital Blvd., Raleigh, N.C. 27604. The phone number for the DAQ Central Office is (919) 715-6237. More information about air quality issues can be found at the Division of Air Quality’s website, www.ncair.org.