As part of the permitting process, DHEC engages surrounding communities and the general public to  

• provide information about proposed permitted activities in communities; 
• give community members and other interested parties an opportunity to bring relevant information to DHEC to consider prior to making a permit decision; and  
• provide an opportunity to bring other concerns to the attention of DHEC and the applicant.   

DHEC is committed to addressing all comments and concerns, and to considering any relevant information prior to making a final permit decision. Public input is an important part of our permitting process and may result in changes to permit conditions and operational practices if a permit is issued.  

Public meetings and public hearings are methods DHEC uses to hear concerns and receive comments to be included in the official permitting record.  A public meeting is an informal conversation with DHEC staff to include questions and answers (Q&A). A public hearing is an opportunity for comments to be stated and recorded by a court reporter to be included in the official public record of the decision. There is no Q&A during a public hearing. 

Mining Public Hearing

USACE’s Charleston District and DHEC’s Bureau of Land and Waste Management (BLWM) held a joint virtual public hearing on April 1, 2021 to accept comments, both written and oral, on the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and the application to modify Haile Gold Mine, Inc.’s Mine Operating Permit (I-000601). The presentation and the hearing recording are available below:

• Haile Gold Mine Public Hearing Presentation - April 1, 2021
• Haile Gold Mine Public Hearing Recording - April 1, 2021
• Haile Gold Mine Public Hearing Transcript - April 1, 2021

During the public hearing, DHEC and USACE staff provided brief presentations summarizing the proposed project and accepted verbal comments to be considered prior to making a final decision. Additional information about the project can be found on DHEC’s Haile Gold Mine - Mine Operating Permit webpage.  

USACE’s and DHEC’s public comment period will remain open through April 23, 2021.  All comments received will be considered.  For additional information about the proposed project or to submit written comments to the appropriate office, please contact the following staff:

USACE: Shawn Boone at (843) 329-8158, or by email at shawn.a.boone@usace.army.mil.
DHEC: Jeremy Eddy at (803) 898-7609, or by email at eddyje@dhec.sc.gov.

Air Quality Title V Operating Permit Public Notice

On March 2, 2021, BAQ posted a public notice of a 30-day public comment period on the draft Air Quality Title V Operating Permit (Air Permit # TV-1460-0070). If approved, the Title V Operating Permit will allow the facility to operate as a major source of emissions under the requirements of SC DHEC Regulation 61-62.70 -Title V Operating Permit Program. This permit will enable the facility to operate in compliance with state and federal air quality regulations. The draft/proposed permit has not yet been approved and is open to comment from the public, affected states, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through March 31, 2021, at 5:00 pm. Additional information about the air permitting process, including the public notice, draft Title V Permit, and Statement of Basis are available on DHEC’s Haile Gold Mine - Air Quality Permit webpage.