DEQ Issues $15,894 Penalty to Mid-Columbia Lumber Products LLC for Operating Two Sawmills without Air Quality Permits

The sawmills, located at 380 Adler Street in Madras and 710 C Street in Culver, operated without the required Air Contaminant Discharge Permit.

The air quality permit contains emission limits and monitoring and reporting requirements. The permit also ensures the state meets national air quality health standards.

Mid Columbia Lumber Products purchased the Madras sawmill in January 2007 and operated without a permit until June 2013. The company operated the Culver sawmill without a permit from February 2011 until March 2013.

By not applying for the permits, Mid Columbia Lumber Products gained an economic advantage over competitors. A majority of the civil penalty is the economic benefit, which is the cost the company avoided through the years by operating without the permit.

Mid Columbia Lumber Products has until July 3 to appeal the penalty.