Coakley
BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced on Tuesday that she has filed a lawsuit against a Worcester, Mass.-based paper mill that allegedly violated the state's Clean Air Act.
Creative Paper Inc. is allegedly responsible for disruptive odors that are affecting nearby residents.
The lawsuit alleges that Creative Paper's facility is emitting nuisance odors that disrupt the primarily residential neighborhood where it is located. The lawsuit further alleges that the company has violated state regulations by not complying with odor mitigating procedures required by its permit under the state's Clean Air Act.
Neighbors began complaining about the company in 1998. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection first took enforcement action at that time.
Although the company sought and received a permit under the Clean Air Act in 2003, it is alleged in the suit that the odors continued, despite the permit requiring the company to monitor and control its process.
On follow-up inspections, the complaint states, records kept by the company showed that it had not properly monitored and controlled its paper-making process as required by its permit.
Coakley is seeking a court order to require the company to eliminate the odors and wants a civil penalty assessed against the company, as well as full compliance with the Clean Air Act in the future.