North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Environmental Management Commission
Public Notice
Special Order by Consent for
Wilson Glass Bead Plant
Wilson, Wilson County
Wilson Glass Bead Plant is a glass manufacturing company. The facility is located at 2201 Firestone Parkway, in Wilson, Wilson County, North Carolina. Permitted source includes a natural gas-fired glass bead furnace.
The facility currently operates under Synthetic Minor Air Quality Permit No. 10840R00, which was issued on September 16, 2024, and has an expiration date of August 31, 2032. Specific condition A.6.c. of the permit requires the company to conduct performance testing of the glass bead furnace to demonstrate compliance with NSPS emission limit for total suspended particulates (TSP). The performance test results didn’t demonstrate compliance with the applicable emission limit for TSP.
Wilson Glass Bead Plant has agreed to a Special Order by Consent (SOC) with the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) to resolve compliance issues related to the facility’s TSP emission limitations. Per the terms of the SOC, the company must install a dust collection system (baghouse) to substantially reduce, or remove, TSP emissions from the glass bead furnace within six to eight months of receiving a permit allowing for the construction and operation of the dust collection system (baghouse).
The SOC includes an upfront penalty and enforcement action pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143-215.114A for failure to comply with any terms or conditions specified in Air Quality Permit No. 10840R00 or the SOC. The SOC will expire when the company submits a final compliance report and pays all stipulated penalties due, or on October 31, 2027, whichever comes first.
This proposed SOC may be viewed on the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) website. A copy of the proposed SOC may also be viewed at the following locations and additional information concerning the proposed SOC may be obtained by contacting:
Dawn Reddix, Regional Air Quality Supervisor
NC DEQ – Raleigh Regional Office
3800 Barrett Drive
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
Phone 919-791-4289
or
Samir Parekh, Stationary Source Compliance Branch Supervisor
NC DEQ-DAQ Raleigh Central Office
217 West Jones Street
1641 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1641
Phone 919-707-8409
Interested persons are invited to review the proposed SOC and to submit written comments by email to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov with “Wilson Glass Bead Plant SOC” in the subject line or by mail to one of the above addresses. Any person requesting a public hearing regarding the proposed SOC should submit a written request with a statement supporting the need for such a hearing. The request for hearing should be sent to the DAQ at one of the two above addresses or at the above email address. All public comments and requests for hearing must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2026. The Director of the DAQ shall take final action on behalf of the EMC on Consent Orders within 60 days of the initial public notice.