Paper mill fined over air quality

Plant to pay $600,000, fix flaws

A south Arkansas paper mill must pay $600,000 in fines, spend $1.8 million on environmental projects and even more on facility upgrades to reduce hazardous air pollutants in a town full of residents complaining about their air quality, according to a consent decree filed Friday.

The settlement is a start, but certainly not enough, residents of Crossett said Friday.

It’s too late for people who have already suffered ailments from the Georgia-Pacific paper mill, said Sylvia Howard. Howard blames the mill for the breathing problems she and her family members have.

But the settlement likely can help clear up less serious problems, she said.

“I thank God they’re going to clean up some,” she said. “Thank God for that.”

Earlier this year, an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette investigation found that the plant emitted more hydrogen sulfide than the company’s permit allowed. Levels were high enough to create an odor with the potential to cause breathing problems.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality filed Friday’s consent decree in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, along with a complaint against Georgia-Pacific.

The action stems from a 2015 agency inspection that found leaks and flaws in the company’s management of hazardous air pollutants, such as formaldehyde.

The consent decree orders several additional measures based on complaints from residents regarding excessive hydrogen sulfide in the air that often causes them breathing troubles. Neither the decree nor the inspection state any specific findings or violations related to hydrogen sulfide.

The paper mill inspection in 2015 found dozens of violations, including leaks, monitoring failures and improper procedures. The EPA alleged the company was in violation of the Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final approval by a judge. The comment period, as well as a public meeting in Crossett with state and federal officials, have not been scheduled.

“I think this is excellent,” said Wilma Subra, a scientist hired by the Louisiana Environmental Action Network to study the air and water quality in Crossett, which is just upstream from the Ouachita River in Louisiana.

Hydrogen sulfide is mostly emitted from the mill’s wastewater-treatment plant, which was exempted from hydrogen sulfide air-quality regulations, along with other paper mills’ treatment plants, through a 1999 Arkansas law.