Businesses Taking Care of the Air
When tragedy strikes, it’s easy to overlook the importance of regulations. But sometimes, the best way to protect a community is to stick with established plans and rules.
Georgia-Pacific’s (GP) corrugated cardboard plant in Olympia, Washington, suffered a significant fire on June 9, 2025. Yet even as fire crews battled the blaze, GP environmental managers reached out to ORCAA’s compliance team to ensure they were prepared to address asbestos and other air concerns when the fire was extinguished.
GP also inquired about permitting requirements for the possible use of temporary engines to provide power to the facility. GP hoped to operate in a limited capacity while they took stock of the damage. ORCAA staff notified GP that if the cumulative maximum rated brake horsepower (BHP) rating of the temporary engines exceeded 500 BHP, GP would be required to submit a Notice of Intent to Operate (NOI) to ORCAA. In the end, GP did not require temporary emergency power, so a notification was not required.
After the fire was extinguished and GP staff could assess the damage, they reached out to ORCAA to schedule a meeting to determine what permitting, if any, would be required to repair the damage and return to operational status. GP determined that the only ORCAA-regulated equipment requiring replacement was the “single facer” component of the corrugator line. ORCAA staff requested additional information about the replacement component, which GP readily supplied. ORCAA staff considered the additional information and determined that replacement of the “single facer” component did not require a permit because it did not meet the definition of a modification.
ORCAA staff commends the Georgia-Pacific staff and management for clear communication with our agency, even during an emergency. GP took timely steps to notify ORCAA of air-related issues and, prudently, refrained from making business decisions related to potentially ORCAA-regulated equipment and activities prior to obtaining ORCAA’s determination. The business worked to protect the health and safety of their employees as well as the residents of their community.
