Public comment period on MediWaste’s EPA permit now open
Nearly two years after having secured a Conditional Use Permit from the Pahrump Regional Planning District for a proposed medical waste processing facility, MediWaste Disposal LLC is now seeking to secure a permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection to further the project. As part of the process, a public comment period is now open and given the outcry from area residents in 2024, no doubt many will want to voice their thoughts on the company’s Pahrump plans.
“The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection has received a request from MediWaste Disposal LLC to construct and operate a medical waste pyrolysis facility in central Pahrump, near Basin Avenue and Highway 160. A 30-day public comment period runs from April 1 through May 1, 2026 and written comments may be mailed or emailed to the Division for consideration,” Nye County Public Communications Manager Arnold Knightly announced this week. “Draft permit materials and additional information are available on the NDEP website and all comments will be reviewed before a final permit decision is made.
“Nye County is not conducting this comment period,” Knightly noted, “but is sharing the information on behalf of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.”
All submissions will be reviewed by NDEP within 30 days of the close of the comment period, after which a decision on the permit will be made. However, this is just one step in MediWaste’s journey to bringing a medical waste pyrolysis facility to Pahrump, with county regulations to meet. As it stands today, MediWaste has a Conditional Use Permit on file to allow for the facility but it does not have a county license to authorize the operation. Nye County is currently in a moratorium on the processing of license applications for all hazardous waste operations. That moratorium will not be lifted until officials have crafted and adopted codes specific to these types of businesses.
To view the draft permit for MediWaste’s proposed Pahrump facility, as well as a draft fact sheet, visit tinyurl.com/2wcehtj6
All comments must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1.
Comments can be mailed to Permitting Branch Supervisor, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management, 901 S. Stewart St., Suite 4001, Carson City, NV, 89701-5249 or emailed to solidwaste@NDEP.NV.gov
For more information, contact the Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management at 775-687-9462.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
