CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will host a public meeting Wednesday, September 26 to discuss the permit application for the AtlasBX battery plant to be constructed in Clarksville.

AtlasBX America Corporation has applied to the Tennessee Division of Air Pollution Control (TDAPC) for an air contaminant permit to construct a Lead-Acid Battery Manufacturing Facility on International Boulevard.

AtlasBX is a manufacturer of storage batteries primarily in South Korea and is a sister company of Hankook Tire, which officially opened its tire manufacturing plant in Clarksville in October 2017. It produces batteries for traditional passenger cars, light trucks, electric vehicles, commercial vehicles, boats and recreational vehicles.

Local officials announced in April of this year that the global automotive battery manufacturer would invest $75 million and create approximately 200 jobs in Montgomery County.

According to the formal public notice issued by TDEC, the company’s operation would consist of “Grid Casting, Lead Oxide Manufacturing, Mixing and Pasting, a Three-process Operation (Assembly) and other ancillary processes.”

It also says “regulated air contaminants” would be emitted.

The notice says “fabric filters, wet scrubbers, and mist eliminators would be used as pollution control devices for various processes” at the facility.

The public comment period for the project has closed, but TDAPC scheduled the town hall meeting due to public interest. A Facebook group known as Clarksville Safe and Strong recently started a change.org petition asking the Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Planning Commission to say no to the plant. The petition has received 1,266 signatures as of Monday afternoon (September 17).

The group’s concerns are expected to be addressed at the public meeting, which is scheduled for September 26 at 6 p.m. at the Clarksville-Montogmery County Public Library, 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 501.

The meeting will be facilitated by TDEC staff with the opportunity for the public to ask technical staff from TDEC and TDAPC questions concerning the proposed project.

Access to the permit application and related materials are available for public review via TDEC’s dataviewer.