The Mississippi Department of Environment Quality has fined a wood pellet manufacturer $2.5 million for emitting three times more air pollution than permitted by regulation.

The fine is likely the largest known fine ever levied on such a facility, according to the Dogwood Alliance, an environmental advocacy group devoted to protecting southern forests.

Mississippi regulators fined Drax Biomass for violations at a wood pellet production facility in Amite County.

A final order from the Mississippi Department on Environmental Quality (MDEQ) indicates that Drax Amite has been exceeding volatile organic compound (VOC) limits for years. VOCs contribute to ground level ozone and smog, which can trigger asthma attacks, and aggravate conditions of people with bronchitis and emphysema.

Click here for the link to PDF to the final order. 

Drax Amite converts trees into wood pellets in order to ship them to the United Kingdom to be burned for electricity.