HELENA, MT - Roseburg Forest Products has agreed to pay $130,925 to a Missoula-area "wood stove change-out" program to settle permit violations lodged by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

The DEQ cited Roseburg's particleboard mill in Missoula for multiple permit violations that had gone unreported for from 2006-2010. In February of 2011, DEQ said Roseburg submitted revised monitoring and performance reports that corrected the previous five years of reporting.

According to DEQ, Roseburg improperly certified that its particleboard plant was in compliance with numerous provisions in the company's air quality permit and with rules under the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) program. In addition, DEQ said Roseburg personnel failed to inspect and calibrate equipment and complete startup, shutdown or malfunction checklists. Citations were also written up for having company filled gasoline tanks without vapor loss control equipment and storing sander dust outside.

In lieu of paying a cash penalty, Roseburg opted to pay the same amount to the Missoula County Seeley Lake Wood Stove Change-Out Program, a supplemental environmental project. Through the wood stove program, residents buy and install new EPA-certified pellet and wood burning stoves to reduce air pollution.

A year ago, the Missoula particleboard mill and other Roseburg wood composite manufacturing facilities received certificaton for compliance with the Composite Panel Association's Eco-Certified Composite program.

In September the Missoula plant sustained a reported $10,000 in damage caused by a fire that started in its refiner area. The fire disrupted operations for about 24 hours, according to KGVO radio.