NATCHEZ &8212; A biofuel company plans to build a plant in Adams County, making consumer-grade fuel out of soybeans. But it currently lacks the necessary paperwork to operate.

CEO John Rivera&8217;s company, U.S. Sustainable Energy Corp., recently bought a warehouse near the river, where they plan to build the plant.

Manufacturing fuel, ultimately 1.5 million gallons a day, Rivera recently said, would require permits from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

USSEC President Alex Machado, in town with Rivera on Friday, said his company is in the process of applying for environmental permits.

But Bryan Collins, with MDEQ, said Thursday that if USSEC had applied for permits for an Adams County plant, he was not aware of it.

USSEC CEO John Rivera said Wednesday that production of his soybean-based fuel would start in about a month and a half.

In order to operate a fuel-production plant, a business must have permits from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality &8212; in this case, emissions and probably wastewater disposal permits, Collins said Thursday.

&8220;Regulations state an application should be submitted 180 days (six months) prior to their planned start date of activity, or constructing equipment (used for emissions and wastewater disposal),&8221; said Collins, chief of the energy and transportation branch for the environmental permits division of MDEQ.

The plant should have 16 reactors operating by the end of March, Machado said Friday.

Machado said Friday his company was in the application process, but he would not say where in the process.

&8220;We&8217;ll make sure we have permitting done before production starts,&8221; Machado said.

Rivera said Wednesday the plant for his one-of-a-kind invention, a highly efficient process of turning soybeans into fuel, would ultimately have 200 reactors.

If a facility would release a certain amount of waste into the air or water, it requires a permit, Collins said.

&8220;I would think that type of production level would reach the permit threshold,&8221; he said.

Collins also said if a plant has a new way of producing biofuel, it does not mean they don&8217;t have to apply to MDEQ.

&8220;Just because it&8217;s new wouldn&8217;t exempt you from permits,&8221; he said.

Collins said the only documents he found sent by Rivera was a 2004 letter explaining his fuel production process.