Nippon Dynawave compliance and enforcement

The catastrophic May 26 tank failure at the Nippon Dynawave pulp and paper mill in Longview was one of the worst industrial disasters in Washington's history. Ecology is dedicated to supporting the Longview community in responding to this tragedy.

Ecology spill responders have worked closely with local emergency personnel to monitor air and water quality at the site, and ensure the safety of the community.

During normal mill operations, Ecology plays an important role in overseeing environmental compliance at the Longview facility, regulating water quality, air quality and dangerous waste at the site.

Following the emergency response at the mill, there have been many questions about oversight and regulation at Nippon Dynawave and similar industrial facilities. Following the emergency response, Ecology staff will be investigating this incident for environmental compliance.

Kraft pulp and paper mills are complex industrial facilities that are subject to extensive state and federal regulations. To help respond to public requests and general questions about that oversight, we are collecting recent permitting, inspection, compliance and enforcement documents related to the facility. We hope that sharing these documents will facilitate public understanding of the environmental compliance and enforcement history of the mill.

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Below, you will find links to recent records and documents detailing compliance and enforcement activities at the Nippon Dynawave mill. These documents do not cover the emergency response following the May 26 incident.

This page will be periodically updated based on commonly requested documents.

Additional documents, records and data can be obtained by filing a public records request:

Public records requests and disclosure

Updated - July 10, 2026

Ecology’s compliance staff are working to determine whether the tank failure led to violations of permits or state and federal rules and laws related to water quality, air quality, or dangerous waste management.

This process will include review of written reports, interviewing facility personnel and conducting site visits. The statute of limitations for Ecology to issue a penalty or compliance order directing the facility to take corrective action is two years.

Public documents related to this investigation will be shared here.

The Washington Department of Ecology issues air quality and water quality permits for the Nippon Dynawave mill, and oversees dangerous wastes at the site under state and federal regulations. This oversight does not include inspections of the structural integrity or process safety of the white liquor tank involved in the May 26 incident.

Under its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water quality permit, Nippon Dynawave is required to submit plans for dealing with potential releases.

Spill prevention, control and countermeasure plan
Describes measures Nippon Dynawave takes to prevent oil discharges to the waters of the United States, and response procedures to be followed in the event a spill occurs.
Stormwater pollution prevention plan
Describes all known, available, and reasonable methods of prevention, control, and treatment of stormwater pollution at Nippon Dynawave, to ensure discharges are below the facility's permit effluent benchmarks.
Best Management Practices Plan - Outlines the system in place at Nippon Dynawave to prevent, collect, contain, recover, or otherwise control spills and losses of spent pulping liquor, turpentine, and soap.

Under Washington's dangerous waste laws, Nippon Dynawave is required to develop a contingency plan for managing dangerous wastes.

Dangerous waste emergency response and contingency plan
Describes the emergency response procedures that are to be implemented in the event of a fire, explosion or release involving dangerous wastes at the Longview site. In addition, the plan describes measures to be taken to prevent an emergency and to minimize potential threats to employees, the general public and the environment in the event of an emergency.

Ecology typically conducts inspections of industrial facilities like the Nippon Dynawave mill four to five times a year. In addition to on-site inspections, Ecology's permit engineers regularly receive data and reports from the facility detailing its operations.

(Dates are given for when the inspection reports were filed, not when the inspection took place.)

Since Nippon Dynawave purchased the Longview kraft mill in 2016, Ecology has issued the facility 56 notices of violation, including additional violations following the May 26 tank failure Ecology cited on Aug. 26.

Industrial facilities are subject to numerous permit requirements that include stipulations such as limits on discharges of air or water pollution. Exceeding these limits, or failing to meet other permit requirements, results in a violation.

A violation can involve different levels of severity. They can be caused by long-term problems, by short-term performance issues, or by failing to file reports or submit required data.

For serious violations, Ecology will issue a monetary penalty, an administrative order requiring the facility to take corrective measures, or both. Not every violation results in a penalty. In making an enforcement decision, regulators consider factors such as duration, actions taken by the facility to correct the problem, compliance history, and the potential or actual impact to the environment.

Facilities are required to report violations and steps they have taken to correct the problem. Ecology may also identify violations during inspections, by reviewing data, or through complaints.

Since Nippon Dynawave purchased the Longview mill in 2016, Ecology has issued the facility eight compliance orders.

Compliance orders are a mechanism to legally require a facility to take action to address a violation or a potential violation, and come into compliance with permit or statutory requirements. A compliance order can accompany a monetary penalty, or stand on its own.

In some cases, Ecology and a facility can also sign an agreed order, in which the regulator and the facility agree on an enforceable corrective action or plan.

Ecology has issued eight monetary penalties to Nippon Dynawave totaling $41,500 since the company purchased the Longview mill in 2016. The penalties ranged from $2,000 to $9,000. In addition to monetary penalties, Ecology may also issue warnings, notices of violation, and enforcement orders requiring the facility to take action to address violations.

March 17, 2026 - $5,500
Venting of process gases over the amount allowed by the federal regulations during the second half of 2024 (Air Quality)
Aug. 6, 2024 - $4,500
Exceedance of a 3-hour average sulfur dioxide limit at a boiler that occurred on January 28, 2023 (Air Quality)
Aug. 6, 2024 - $2,000
Exceedance of the daily limit in wastewater treatment permit for solids that occurred on March 1, 2023 (Water Quality)
July 14, 2022 - $4,000
Three permit limit violations for exceeding the 5-day biochemical oxygen demand at the sanitary treatment plant that occurred in November 2020. An additional limit violation occurred in June 2021 (Water Quality)
Feb. 27, 2019 - $5,000
Exceedance of the 20% opacity limit at the No. 10 boiler that occurred 19 times between June-September 2018 (Air Quality)
June 25, 2018 - $9,000
Failure to control hazardous air pollutants (pulping condensates - methanol) between Nov. 9 and Dec. 4, 2017 (Air Quality)
Feb. 1, 2018 - $2,500
Exceedance of the 20% opacity limit at the No. 10 boiler (Air Quality)
Feb. 3, 2017 - $9,000
Exceedance of the SO2 operating parameter at the No. 11 boiler for 14 days (Air Quality)

Contact information

Andrew Wineke
Communications
andrew.wineke@ecy.wa.gov
360-791-1939

Nippon Dynawave compliance and enforcement

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