The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Roseburg Forest Products in Weed, Calif., has agreed to pay a $75,000 penalty to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act. This enforcement action comes as a result of several violations of federal law, according to a press release issued today by EPA’s Region 9.

Roseburg did not monitor nitrogen oxides emitted by its biomass boiler for 48 days in 2008 and 2009; It failed to continuously monitor and record opacity of boiler emissions discharged to the atmosphere from June 15 to June 30, 2008; and it submitted inaccurate 2008 semi-annual opacity reports, according to the EPA.

By settling this enforcement action, EPA expects Roseburg to improve its internal procedures so the company will perform continuous monitoring and submit timely and accurate reports as required by the regulations. The violations were discovered as a result of an EPA information request.

The Clean Air Act regulates emissions to the atmosphere from steam generating units such as Roseburg’s boiler. The boiler at the facility combusts wood and is subject to the opacity standard. Regulations require the owner or operator to install, calibrate, maintain, and operate continuous monitoring systems for opacity and nitrogen oxide and record the output of these systems. The opacity data is used to assess how well the air pollution control device is working to reduce particulate matter, according to the EPA.

At press time, Roseburg Forest Products had not responded to DWM/Shelter magazine’s request for comment.