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Cottonwood, Idaho paving and asphalt company violates federal clean air laws

Release Date: 11/27/2012
Contact Information: Hanady Kader, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-0454, [email protected]

(Seattle—Nov. 27, 2012) Valley Paving & Asphalt, Inc. operated asphalt mixing equipment on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho and released air pollutants without an authorized Clean Air Act permit, according to a settlement between the company and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The company is based in Cottonwood, Idaho.

“The law requires companies that produce air pollution get the proper permits before they start work,” said Kim Ogle, Manager of the Inspection and Enforcement Unit at EPA’s Seattle office. "Permits are fundamental to protecting people and the air they breathe, and companies need to play by the rules.”

The company operated the asphalt mixing equipment for paving roads on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho in September 2011 without a required permit. In addition, the company did not submit an annual registration report to EPA under the Federal Air Rules for Reservations. Asphalt mixing machines and similar equipment release pollutants that are regulated by the Clean Air Act. EPA Region 10 is the Clean Air Act permitting authority on tribal reservations in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

The company has agreed to pay $36,360 to settle the violations.

For more information on the Clean Air Act and Federal Air Rules for Reservations, visit:
https://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/tribal.nsf/programs/farr