Alert and loyal Going Green reader Pat Berger points us to a story from the Windy City. Melrose Park, IL-based Lake Book Manufacturing allegedly failed to secure the proper building permits before installing its new presses, which “are capable of emitting ‘volatile organic materials,’ also known as regulated air pollutants.”
An inspection in November 2010 found that the company didn’t have the proper construction or operating permits from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency before installing some presses, nor did it pay any permit fees, as required by the state’s Environmental Protection Act, according to the lawsuit. The book manufacturer “had a potential to emit (volatile organic materials) greater than 25 tons per year” starting in 2000, states the lawsuit, which cites information the company provided to the state EPA. The company also didn't submit annual emissions reports to the Illinois EPA between 1992 and 2010 and other seasonal reports, the lawsuit contends.