The new owners of the former Seneca sawmill and biomass-fueled powerplant are working with Lane County air pollution regulators to alter air quality permits as the company considers upgrades to some of its local operations.

Sierra Pacific Industries, which bought the Seneca family of companies including its Eugene sawmill and powerplant last year, is currently in the process of renewing those facilities’ air quality permits while asking the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency to modify them to remove a federal limit on air pollutants to account for increased production.

The modifications would make the facilities subject to tighter pollution control technology standards, LRAPA said.

The public can offer comment and learn about plans for the facilities at a July 11 hearing and informational session.

The powerplant and the sawmill currently are considered one source of emissions when determining if they are a major source of federal hazardous air pollutants, or FHAP, because they are nearby and under common control.

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