Georgia Pacific Faces Air Quality Violation Fines

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued Georgia Pacific Toledo a fine of $116,108 for violations of the title V air quality permit. On June 12th GP was sent a letter from Oregon DEQ saying GP violated multiple permit requirements, including requirements based on federal National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) that apply to the mill. DEQ said GP also failed to properly maintain their recovery furnaces to minimize emissions, as required under NESHAP subpart MM.

The enclosed Notice of Civil Penalty Assessment and Order (Notice) also cited GP for failing to operate the control device associated with one of the smelt dissolver tanks within the operating limits set according to the NSPS subpart BBa on more than 150 occasions, which resulted in excess emissions of particulate matter and total reduced sulfur.

Georgia Pacific has said they plan to appeal the violations, saying this enforcement action was primarily the result of an inspection completed in 2022. The actionable findings identified during the 2022 inspection were either immediately corrected or as soon as it was practical following the inspection. In other words, while DEQ has just recently released the Notice of Violation (NOV), the items identified in this notice have been resolved.

GP Toledo has been cooperating with and sharing data with ODEQ as requested and they said they look forward to resolving the Notice of Civic Penalty Order with ODEQ promptly.  

The teams at Georgia-Pacific take environmental matters seriously and are committed to being responsible stewards of our environmental resources. We are also committed to being good neighbors and contributing to economic growth and stability in the region. The health, safety, and well-being of our employees, communities, and environment is our number one priority. Andrea Formo, GP public information manager, said they will continue to work with all local, state, and federal agencies and maintain compliance with all applicable permits.