An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

New Source Review (NSR) Permitting

Plum Creek Manufacturing, Inc. Columbia Falls Operations (Notification #2) - Permitting Information

1. Facility Information

Plum Creek Manufacturing, Inc.
Columbia Falls Operations

2. Location

Section 7 and SW1/4 Section 8, Township 30 North, Range 20 West, Flathead County. Columbia Falls Operations
P.O. Box 160
Columbia Falls, Montana 59912

3. Distance from US/Canada Border

Facility is approximately 85 km from the U.S./Canada border.

4. Facility Type and Size

Facility consists of three plants all located at the same site: the sawmill, the plywood mill, and the medium density fiberboard (MDF) plant.

Input capacity of wood-fired Stoker boiler is 292.4 MMBtu/hr. Three natural gas-fired boilers with design capacities of 20,000, 10,500, and 22,500 lbs/hr of steam.

5. Sources of Emissions

2 MDF fiber dryers, two plywood veneer dryers, a wood-fired boiler, three gas-fired boilers, various baghouses from the plywood process and the MDF process, many planer, plywood, and MDF cyclones, fugitive dust from mill vehicles and log yard activity.

6. Type of Fuel

Wood waste and natural gas.

7. Type and Quantity of Emissions

Emission increases due to modification:

CO = 1612.0 TPY

Modification is major for CO only, thus only the CO emissions need to be addressed in the BACT analysis. Modification consists of an increase in the allowable CO emissions from the wood-fired Stoker boiler from 100 lbs/hr to 468 lbs/hr, due to an outdated emission factor. Actual CO emissions would not change. Area is nonattainment for PM-10.

8. Emission Control Technology

No additional controls for the Stoker boiler.

9. Date Permit Application Received

Permit application is dated May 19, 1995 from the State of Montana and was received by Region VIII on May 23, 1995. State of Montana issued the final construction permit on July 26, 1995. Permit #2667-07.

10. Stack Height and Diameter

Stoker boiler stack information: height = 102 feet and diameter = 7 feet.

11. Permit Agency Contact

Jeff Briggs, Environmental Engineer
Montana Department of Health & Environmental Sciences
Air Quality Division
836 Front Street
P.O. Box 200901
Helena, Montana 59620-0901

Data Entered: 12/12/1996