Nippon earns 8 environmental fines since 2016 ownership transfer in Longview
Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company has received eight fines from the Washington Department of Ecology since Nippon Paper Group took over the Longview plant in 2016.
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It was the only company in Cowlitz County to receive more than two fines since January 2015, the earliest date available for the Department of Ecology's quarterly summaries of environmental penalties totaling over $1,000. The eight fines add up to $41,500.
The larger number of Ecology violations is likely due to the kraft mill's requirement to obtain air quality permits from the department, which differs from other industries.
While Nippon had the highest number of fines, it ranked fourth in the county in amount paid. The Weyerhaeuser lumber mill in Longview received two fines in 2024 and 2022, totaling $185,000 and, each for multiple violations.
Also above Nippon were Steel Painters, Inc. in Kelso, with one $49,000 fine in 2024, and Foster Farms in Kelso, with one $44,000 fine in 2015.
Japan-based Nippon took over the mill from Weyerhaeuser for $285 million in 2016, according to The Daily News archives. At a ceremony for the opening, John Carpenter, then-president of Nippon Dynawave Packaging, vowed safety at the longrunning mill in a speech reported by the company.
"Today we build on that foundation by launching our new company, with a new identity and a renewed commitment to safely and responsibly providing world-class products to a growing list of domestic and international customers," he said.
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Reasons for fines
Six of Nippon's fines were related to air quality violations, while two were related to wastewater treatment. Most recently, it received a $5,500 fine March 17 for venting process gases over the amount allowed by federal regulations in the second half of 2024.
Andrew Wineke, the deputy communications director for the Department of Ecology, wrote in an email that kraft paper mills like Nippon are covered by state and federal regulations that may not apply to other industries.
Other businesses in the area receive air quality permits from the Southwest Clean Air Agency rather than the Department of Ecology. Therefore, most Cowlitz County businesses would not be fined for air quality violations under the Department of Ecology, unlike Nippon.
Kraft paper mills convert wood into pulp through a chemical process called the kraft process, which involves treating wood chips with white liquor. The pulp is then used to make paper.
A white liquor tank at the Longview mill ruptured May 26, killing 11 and potentially contaminating water in nearby drainage ditches, though pH levels have returned to normal since.
The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company website states that its pulp is used for absorbent products like pet pads and tissues, printing paper, specialty papers like gum wrappers, insulated doors, tea filtration paper and kraft paper.
Nippon is one of three kraft paper mills in Washington, Wineke wrote. The other two are Smurfit WestRock, also in Longview, and the Port Townsend Paper Corporation.
Smurfit WestRock's Longview mill received two fines for air quality violations in 2023 that totaled $9,500.
The Department of Ecology also named Smurfit WestRock as a contributor to a mysterious odor in 2024 that led to complaints of headaches and sore throats as far away as Vancouver and Portland. A department press release stated that the mill's emissions at the time were within the range allowed by its permit and were below levels that would harm people or the environment.
Smurfit WestRock officials denied causing the odor.
How do fines work?
The Department of Ecology determines penalty amounts using a matrix that considers the nature of the violation, actual or potential impact to the environment, the compliance history of the business or facility and how the business or facility worked to correct the problem, Wineke wrote.
The department's website states that it attempts to use education, technical assistance and cooperation-based programs to achieve voluntary compliance whenever possible. If those are not successful, it may escalate to direct measures like warning letters and fines.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 12:44 PM.