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EPA REACHES $185,500 SETTLEMENT WITH SACRAMENTO WOOD FURNITURE MAKER FOR CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS

Release Date: 1/25/2001
Contact Information: Leo Kay, Press Office, 415/744-2201

     SAN FRANCISCO   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a a settlement
with The Michaels Company that calls for the Sacramento-based furniture maker to pay
$185,500 for numerous federal Clean Air Act violations.
                   
    The complaint alleges that in 1994 The Michaels Company failed to apply proper air pollution
controls when it expanded paint spray booth operations at its facility at 5849 88th Street.  The
federal Clean Air Act requires businesses that increase their emissions to apply the best available
pollution controls to minimize emissions.

     The EPA has also required Michaels to continue to operate air pollution control equipment
that enables Michaels to comply with the Clean Air Act's emission limits.  The Sacramento area
is a severe nonattainment area for ozone.  

     "This settlement effectively closes the books on air violations at Michaels dating back to the
mid '90s," said Amy Zimpfer, acting director of the EPA's regional Air Division.  "Thanks to
some of the compliance terms of this agreement, Michaels will be a cleaner, safer facility for
years to come."

     In 1996, The Michaels Company installed a carbon adsorption system on one of its paint
spray booths to limit emissions, but the system performed poorly.  A second emission reduction
system installed in 1997   required by permit to control 95 percent of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) emissions from all spray booth operation at the facility   also failed to
properly limit emissions until last March.

    Wood furniture coating operations emit volatile organic compounds, which are precursors to
ozone, or smog, formation.

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