The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has fined an engineered wood manufacturer in Beltrami County. Investigators say West Fraser paid a fine of $15,250 for air permit violations. The facility in Solway submitted carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide performance tests more than 100 days late and exceeded its hazardous air pollution limits from March 2023 to November 2023.
The facility took the following corrective actions to return to compliance:
- completed late tests
- submitted a new air permit
The MPCA remains committed to protecting human health and the environment by enforcing rules and regulations and limiting pollution emissions and discharges from facilities. When companies do not fully comply with regulatory requirements, the resulting pollution can be harmful to people and the environment.
When calculating penalties, the MPCA considers how seriously the violations affected or could have affected the environment, and whether they were first-time or repeat violations. The agency also attempts to recover the economic benefit the company gained by failing to comply with environmental laws in a timely manner.