FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         ENR
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1997                        (202) 514-2008
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888


    UNITED STATES FILES SUIT AGAINST CELOTEX FOR POLLUTING AIR
              AT PENNSYLVANIA MANUFACTURING FACILITY

       Takes Action to Compel Tampa, Florida-based Company
                   to Comply With Clean Air Act

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United States today sued Celotex, a
national manufacturer of construction materials, for polluting
the air around its fiberboard manufacturing facility located near
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  

     The Justice Department's complaint filed today in U.S.
District Court in Harrisburg, was brought on behalf of the
Environmental Protection Agency.  In it, the government alleges
that since at least April 1996, Celotex's Sunbury, Pennsylvania
plant has been releasing a form of air pollution, known as
visible particulate matter, above the legal limit established by
the federal Clean Air Act -- a law designed to protect air
quality nationwide.  The pollution, released through holes in the
roof and through the smokestack of the manufacturing facility,
has been the subject of many complaints by local residents. 

     The dust-like particles released from the Celotex plant have
caused a blue haze to form over the facility and the surrounding
residential areas on numerous occasions.  Particulate matter
released into the atmosphere can cause serious respiratory
problems when inhaled into the lungs. 
 
     "Clean Air Act regulations are in place to protect human
health and the environment.  Consistent compliance by the
regulated community cannot be overemphasized," said EPA Regional
Administrator W. Michael McCabe.

     "The citizens of Sunbury, like all Americans, have a right
to breathe clean air, and Celotex has an obligation to obey our
nation's environmental laws," said Lois Schiffer, Assistant
Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's
Environment and Natural Resources Division.

     Celotex has manufactured fiberboard, typically installed
underneath residential vinyl siding, at its Sunbury plant since
1955.  The boards are manufactured out of a mash of wet
woodchips, starch, and binding material.  In the final stage of
the fiberboard manufacturing process the wet, newly formed boards
are placed in a huge dryer, over 300 feet long.  Emissions from
the dryer are sent through special equipment that is supposed to
filter out most of the particulate matter, before releasing the
emissions into the air.

     Through its complaint, the United States is seeking a court
order requiring Celotex to properly capture and control emissions
from its manufacturing facility, to ensure that emissions of
visible particulate matter meet federal clean air standards.  In
addition, under the Clean Air Act, Celotex faces a statutory
maximum fine of up to $25,000 a day, per violation, for each day
it is found in violation.

     Celotex operates 26 plants nationwide and manufactures a
wide variety of commercial and residential construction products
including, siding, roofing, and masonry materials.
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