State obtains $75K judgement for pollution from company that burns scrap plywood, veneer

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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Monday that his office has obtained a civil judgment requiring a Shawano wood producer to pay a $75,000 penalty for alleged violations of the state’s air-pollution laws.

The judgement requires Wisconsin Veneer and Plywood to pay that penalty amount after an emission test conducted on a wood-fired boiler showed in May 2020 that the company had violated two emissions limits in its air-pollution-control permit. The company’s Shawano County operation uses a wood-fired boiler to burn scrap veneer, sawdust, wood chips and bark.

“Enforcing our air pollution laws isn’t only important for the environment,” Kaul said in a statement. “It also helps protect Wisconsinites’ health and wellbeing.”

The test led the company to shut down its boiler for two weeks in July of 2020 for cleaning. Further tests have shown the company has returned to being in compliance with its permit.

Assistant Attorney General Bradley J. Motl worked closely with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to obtain the judgment. The order for judgment was signed by Shawano County Circuit Court Judge Katie Sloma on February 28. Follow @natebeck9