EPA says J.L. French violated Clean Air Act

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a preliminary finding alleging that J.L. French Corp. has violated the Clean Air Act.

“We’re putting the company on notice that we’ve discovered violations and they have an opportunity to bring forth information to rebut our allegations,” said William Omohundro, spokesman for the EPA’s Region 5 office in Chicago, which issued the finding of violation Sept. 3.

J.L. French, which manufactures automotive parts through aluminum die-casting, was cited for exceeding federal standards of emissions of dioxins and furans at its aluminum production plant in Sheboygan, Wis.

Dioxins and furans can be produced in the metal smelting, refining and recycling process. The chemicals were released from a stack that serves two furnaces and a natural gas fired thermal chip dryer at J.L. French, EPA documents said.

J.L. French also allegedly “failed to submit timely and accurate notification of its compliance status,” the agency said.

A press release from J.L. French stated that the company is cooperating with the EPA in regards to correcting the problems.