Maeder Brothers Quality Wood Pellets, Inc. (Maeder), was a wood pellet manufacturer located on reservation lands of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe in Weidman, MI. EPA alleged that Maeder violated its Federal Minor New Source Review Permit, issued by EPA for the Weidman, MI facility pursuant to Clean Air Act Section 110(a)(2)(C) under the Federal Minor New Source Review Program in Indian Country at 40 C.F.R. ?? 49.151 et seq. Specifically, EPA alleged that between approximately 2019 and 2022, Maeder operated its hammermill without the required filter unit, failed to operate an emissions unit in a manner consistent with good air pollution control practices, failed to calculate annual facility emissions, and failed to submit required reports to EPA.
Maeder ceased its operations and sold the facility to a new owner, who is working with EPA to bring the facility into compliance in an ACO. In the CAFO, Maeder agrees to pay a civil penalty of $2,000 for the alleged CAA violations between 2019 and 2022. EPA had initially calculated a penalty under the Clean Air Act Stationary Source Civil Penalty Policy Enforcement Response Policy for the alleged violations. Following an ability-to-pay analysis conducted by EPA contractor Industrial Economics, Inc., which concluded that Maeder?s ability to pay should be consider against its debt, the penalty was reduced to $2,000.