Opinion ID: 1651926
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: The Permitting Process

Text: ¶ 19. Following the planning process, the Authority prepared and submitted its permit application, to construct and operate the landfill, to the Permit Board for approval. The Permit Board's staff reviewed the applications and prepared three draft permits for the landfill. The Permit Board issued a public notice of the Authority's applications and requested that the public submit written comments concerning the issuance of the permits. Subsequently, the Permit Board issued a second public notice inviting the public to attend a public hearing concerning the Authority's permits. ¶ 20. On October 27, 1994, the Permit Board conducted the public hearing at the Golden Triangle Vo-Tech School in Mayhew, Mississippi. The Permit Board gave every person at the hearing the opportunity to comment on the landfill. Comments were made by area residents, businesses, public officials and many others including those from CCALL objecting to the landfill. ¶ 21. After the close of the comment period, the Permit Board staff prepared the official record. The Permit Board reviewed the record and on November 22, 1994, approved the Authority's permit applications. Shortly thereafter, on December 19, 1994, CCALL requested a full formal administrative hearing before the Permit Board. ¶ 22. On March 14, 1995, the Permit Board conducted the formal hearing. During the formal hearing, MDEQ and the Authority offered site data, exhibits and expert testimony in support of the Authority's request for the permits. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Permit Board voted unanimously to affirm its previous decision issuing the three permits to the Authority. ¶ 23. CCALL appealed the Permit Board's final decision affirming the issuance of the permits, to the Chancery Court of Oktibbeha County. By a judgment dated May 28, 1997, the Chancery Court found that the December 21, 1992, public hearings held in Clay and Oktibbeha counties did not comply with the Authority's duty to provide due process hearings. The Chancery Court directed the Authority to hold another public hearing to discuss siting criteria as applied to the selected site. ¶ 24. Also, the Court ordered the Authority to encourage and entertain discussion of the applicability of the siting criteria to other sites. Further, the Court held that the hearing should allow for the introduction of testimony by the public, and cross examination of all members of the siting committee and its experts. The judgment also required all past and present members of the site selection subcommittee to be in attendance and prepared to respond to public inquiry. It is from this chancery court judgment that this appeal now arises.