2 Idaho Companies Had the Biggest EPA Violations in the Northwest in 2024

Idaho is a beautiful state, even if some people think we are only potatoes and cow farms.

So, it’s a shame that the Environmental Protection Agency had to investigate and file dozens of violations against Idaho companies in 2024.

These 2 Idaho Businesses Were Fined $640K in 2024 for EPA Violations

The EPA recently released their list of the biggest violations and settlements from Region 10 in 2024. Region 10 includes Idaho, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington State.

There were more than 60 violations in Washington State on the list, the most of any Region 10 state in 2024, but the 2 largest violation penalties were issued to companies in Idaho.

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Of the 27 violations in Idaho on the list two of them totaled more than $640 thousand in penalties. A Darigold facility in Caldwell was given a $318,000 penalty for Clean Air Act violations and Clearwater Paper Corporation in Lewiston was hit with a $322,088 penalty for Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act violations.

Clearwater Paper Corporation Fined by EPA for Violation in Idaho

The news release for Clearwater Paper says the charge was filed on July 7, 2024, and claimed the company failed to report a ‘release’ of a toxic or hazardous chemical or an extremely hazardous substance into the environment.

In the filing, it states that the company facility released hundreds of pounds of chlorine into the air over 4 separate 24-hour periods and failed to notify or properly report it.

Darigold Facility in Idaho Given Violation Penalty by EPA

The Darigold violation was filed on September 4, 2024, and claims the company discharged pollutants (solid waste, sewage, garbage, chemical, and industrial waste) into Idaho waters without a valid permit. The claim also states that the Darigold facility failed to conduct proper inspections and corrective action on issues.

Discharge violations included E.coli, evaporated condensate of whey, and BODs.

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As large as the 2 violations and penalties are, they are nowhere near the largest in Idaho history. The city of Driggs, Idaho was ordered to pay a $400K penalty for a Clean Water Act violation. The largest penalty went to J.R. Simplot in the form of a $1.5 million penalty and $150 million to modify facility resources in Pocatello to better recover and reuse phosphate.

Simplot faced a similar violation in Wyoming which ended in a settlement in 2020.