Last week, an Idaho environmental group accused a plastic bag producer of violating federal laws on reporting toxic waste.
Now the Idaho Conservation League says it was mistaken in its initial assessment. ICL says Novolex’s Jerome facility is in compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We are pleased to say that Novolex has demonstrated to us that its Jerome facility was in compliance with EPA emission reporting requirements,” said Austin Hopkins, Conservation Assistant for the ICL.
The ICL says it conducted a joint review of the company’s environmental health and safety programs. It found that emission levels at Novolex are below reporting thresholds.
The ICL had originally claimed Novolex needed to file information in the EPA’s toxic-release inventory database. Hopkins then said they had discovered the reporting gap while reviewing air quality permits at the Jerome factory.
Novolex called the initial claim “regrettable,” but said they have worked with the ICL to explain their environmental health and safety program.
“Their willingness to investigate the facts about our program and integrity to retract that statement after learning about our process is laudable,” said Phil Rozenski, Senior Director of Sustainability at Novolex.
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