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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

EPA fines lumber mill on Colville Reservation for clean-air violations

Associated Press

SEATTLE – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined a tribal-owned lumber mill $89,000 for repeated clean-air violations.

The EPA said PNW Wind Down LLC lumber mill is on the Colville Reservation in Omak. It produced plywood veneer from raw timber. The facility is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and is operated by Omak Wood Products.

The EPA said the company exceeded emissions limits and failed to abide by the terms of a compliance order.

The EPA received complaints of heavy smoke and pollution from local residents in 2013 and issued violation notices. The EPA and the company entered into a compliance order in 2014. Additional problems led to another violation notice last year, and that led to the penalty action.