Mill Settles Air Violations For $215,000 Fuel Boiler Emissions Exceeded Federal, State Limits In ‘91-92

DAW Forest Products Inc. on Wednesday agreed to pay a $215,000 settlement over emissions at its Huetter mill west of town.

The mill violated federal and state air quality laws in 1991 and 1992, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The mill has since been acquired by Crown Pacific Inland Ltd.

Chris James, an EPA spokesman in Seattle, said the mill’s fuel boiler emitted particulates at a rate exceeding clean air law limits.

“The chief concern is that those particles get lodged in people’s lungs and can cause any number of health hazards,” James said. “Crown Pacific was aware of this liability when they took over the mill’s operations.”

Boilers are used to burn waste wood and generate power for sawmills.

The settlement is contained in a consent decree filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Boise. DAW Forest Products denies any allegations made by EPA.

EPA, in turn, has agreed that further litigation is unnecessary.

That’s because the company installed emissions controls in late 1992, reducing particulate emissions.

Despite threats to public health, James said EPA received no complaints from residents who live near the mill. The sawmill is located two miles west of Coeur d’Alene along the Spokane River.

North Idaho sawmills for years have struggled to meet clean air requirement. Several mills in 1992 were fined $335,000 in total for violations.

In 1993, Louisiana-Pacific Corp. paid the nation’s largest-ever fine under the Clean Air Act. The firm was fined $11.2 million for excessive emissions and falsifying information. Emissions occurred at 11 plants, including the Chilco mill near Athol, Idaho.