On Jan. 22, a now-defunct Eugene-based wood treatment facility and its president agreed to pay $1.5 million in criminal fines for knowingly violating the Clean Air Act’s pollution control regulations.
The fines imposed on J.H. Baxter and its president, Georgia Baxter-Krause, follow their guilty plea to environmental violations related to improper waste disposal and storage at the Roosevelt Blvd. facility in Eugene.
The charges stem from unlawful practices at the now-closed J.H. Baxter plant, where toxic chemicals were used to treat and preserve wood. The resulting wastewater from the process, a hazardous material, was supposed to be managed through a regulated treatment and storage process. However, instead of following that process, the company engaged in an unauthorized practice of transferring hazardous waste into wood treatment retorts for years, prosecutors say.
The process, referred to as “(boiling) it off,” allowed the company to reduce the amount of wastewater kept at the plant significantly.
In doing so, prosecutors say the company bypassed required permits and pollution regulations. Through a multi-agency investigation, investigators determined the illegal boiling activity happened on at least 136 days from January to October 2019.
In addition to the fines, as part of her plea agreement, Krause, 61, faces up to two years in federal prison for lying to government officials about the illegal practices.
