Residents of Tipton County have 30 days to comment on an air quality permit sought by DaimlerChrysler AG for construction of a new transmission plant.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is accepting public comment on the proposed air quality permit until June 9. Comments are limited to air quality issues at the proposed plant site.

The application for the permit gives an indication of what activities will be taking place inside the proposed plant at the intersection of Indiana 28 and U.S. 31.

DaimlerChrysler officials did not return telephone calls from The Kokomo Tribune seeking comment on the permit application.

Zoning for the 236-acre site has been approved by the Tipton County Plan Commission along with a drainage and site plan for the location.

There has been no official announcement that the joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and Getrag is locating in Tipton County.

Richard Torri, with the architectural firm of Harley Ellis and Devereau in Michigan, said at the April meeting of the Plan Commission that Getrag is committed to the project.

He noted Chrysler’s announcement the week prior to the April meeting that it will construct a new engine and axle plant in Michigan is relevant to the local project.

“The Chrysler announcement ties into this,” Torri said. “There are plans to build a new minivan by 2010 with transmissions from Getrag. The first transmission would be produced in February 2009.”

Plans at the site include future expansion with the intent to produce between 400,000 and 500,000 transmissions annually.

DaimlerChrysler is reportedly working in conjunction with German transmission manufacturer Getrag to construct a $560 million plant expected to employ 1,200 people.

Jenny Acker, senior engineer with the Office of Air Quality, said the application was submitted last December and has been under review by IDEM staff.

Acker said once the 30-day comment period has ended, the permit will be forwarded to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She said EPA has 45 days to review the application and, if approved, the state can issue the permit.

The permit would be good for five years

The permit requires testing and record keeping by DaimlerChrysler to ensure the facility is following the requirements for controlling air pollution.

Concerning the emission of air pollutants into the atmosphere, Acker said a preliminary finding determined the plant is in compliance with national air quality standards.

Acker said the amount of emitted particles was below the national standards when abatement measures were considered.

The permit application includes emergency measures if the amount of pollutants exceeds the national standards.

The plant will emit less than 10 tons per year of a single hazardous air pollutant and less than 25 tons per year for a combination of hazardous air pollutant as required by the state.

“We used the most conservative worst case scenario,” Acker said.

Concerning pending permits for Kokomo, Tippecanoe and Miami counties and Frankton, Acker said those remain active.

“The review of the Tipton County permit is completed,” she said. “IDEM started drafting permits for all sites. The Kokomo site has a miscellaneous stop on it.”

The sites, other than in Tipton County, are a work in progress, Acker said.

The permit states there will be the following equipment in the plant:

• Fifteen shotblast machines each using a maximum of 7,700 pounds per hour of cut steel wire shot, each equipped with a dedicated dry cartridge filter for particulate control, and exhausting inside the building or to the atmosphere.

• Ten laser welding stations, exhausting inside the building.

• Activities associated with the treatment of wastewater streams with an oil and grease content less than or equal to one percent of volume.

• Eight cooling towers, each with a maximum capacity of 4,200 gallons of water per minute.

• Ten high pressure deburring machines, each with a maximum oil usage of 90 gallons per year, exhausting inside the building.

• A maximum of 800 machines, 400 each of Wet and Dry machines, each equipped with a dedicated self-contained filter element for particulate control, exhausting inside the building.

• Eighteen dry hobbing machines, exhausting inside the building or to the atmosphere.