A small Mississippi community’s environmental victory has been overturned, allowing British biomass giant Drax to legally increase toxic air pollution from its wood pellet manufacturing plant.

In April 2025, residents of Gloster, Mississippi (population 858) celebrated when state environmental regulators denied Drax’s request to raise pollution limits at its Amite BioEnergy facility. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had initially sided with the community, which argued that emissions were already harming residents’ health and quality of life. The decision seemed to validate years of citizen complaints about one of the world’s largest wood pellet mills.

However, the victory was short-lived. On October 15, DEQ reversed its decision and reclassified Drax from a “minor” to “major” emitter of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). This technical change effectively grants the company permission to legally emit higher levels of toxic substances than previously allowed, even as it increases production capacity.

The regulatory flip came despite Drax’s troubling compliance record – the UK-based company has been fined over $2.75 million since 2016 for exceeding emissions limits at the Gloster plant. DEQ justified its reversal by citing Drax’s promises that newly installed pollution-control technology will reduce overall emissions long-term, despite increased production. For Gloster residents who have spent years fighting what they consider serious health threats from industrial pollution, the decision represents a significant setback in their ongoing battle against corporate environmental impacts.