British energy giant reports violating toxic pollutant limits at Louisiana wood pellet facilities

NEW ORLEANS — British energy giant Drax Global, already under scrutiny for running afoul of environmental laws in multiple states, has disclosed to the state of Louisiana that its wood pellet production facilities emit hazardous air pollutants above their permitted limits. It operates seven wood pellet production facilities across four states and paid out $2.5 million in fines for violating air emissions limits in Mississippi in 2020 and $3.2 million pollution-related settlements in Louisiana in 2022. The company conducted testing in August 2023 and about six months later informed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality that both facilities should be considered a “major source” of hazardous air pollutant emissions. Drax had been able to avoid testing for these pollutants in Louisiana for years because the Clean Air Act contains a “loophole” for wood pellet production, allowing states to make these determinations on a case-by-case basis, said Patrick Anderson, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.