Portland OR (3/10/2015) – The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined Hampton Lumber Mills Inc. $15,600 for air quality violations at its sawmill and planing facility at 550 NE Skipanon Drive in Warrenton.

DEQ issued this penalty because on Oct. 15, 2012 and May 8, 2013, the facility emitted particulate matter at levels that violated its air quality permit. The facility violated its six-minute average opacity limit, which is a new source performance standard for its hogged fuel boiler. Measuring opacity, or how much particles obscure visibility, is a method of assessing particulate emissions. The standard ensures that new air contaminant sources maintain optimum efficiency and keep pollutant levels to a minimum to meet national air quality health
standards.

In determining the penalty amount, DEQ considered Hampton Lumber?s efforts to correct or minimize the violation?s impacts. The company did this by responding quickly to re-establish good combustion and proper fuel-to-air ratios to reduce the opacity and return the boiler to compliance. The company also installed audible alarms to notify boiler operators in the future when the oxygen levels drop.

Hampton Lumber is not appealing the penalty. The company plans on conducting a supplemental environmental project to mitigate a portion of the penalty. DEQ allows individuals and companies to commit a portion of the fine to projects that benefit public health or the environment.

Contacts: Jenny Root, Environmental Law Specialist, Portland, 503-229-5874; Patty Jacobs, Air Quality Program, Portland, 503-229-5425