Stella-Jones Corporation Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Unlawful Water Pollution in Yamhill County

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced that Stella-Jones Corporation, a wood products manufacturer operating in Sheridan, Oregon, has pleaded guilty to 10 misdemeanor counts of Unlawful Water Pollution in the Second Degree for violations of its state-issued water quality permit.

The company admitted to repeatedly and with criminal negligence exceeding legal limits for pentachlorophenol, a toxic chemical used in treating wood products, in discharges from its facility between December 2022 and March 2023. This resolves a larger set of charges filed by the Oregon Department of Justice, which documented a pattern of permit violations across multiple months.

“Oregonians expect businesses to follow the law and protect our environment,” said Attorney General Dan Rayfield. “When companies cut corners and pollute our rivers and streams, it harms communities, natural resources, and public trust. This makes it clear that no one gets a free pass when it comes to safeguarding Oregon’s water.”

Stella-Jones will pay a $250,000 fine, $50,000 of which will be suspended if it avoids permit violations involving pentachlorophenol during the three years of probation. Stella-Jones will also be required to implement corrective actions to bring its facility operations into compliance with state environmental standards and clean up potentially impacted areas in and around the facility.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jordan Bailey with ODOJ, with assistance from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Oregon State Police.

About Stella-Jones

Stella-Jones Inc. (TSX: SJ) is a leading North American manufacturer of pressure-treated wood products, focused on supporting infrastructure that is essential to the delivery of electrical distribution and transmission, and the operation and maintenance of railway transportation systems. It supplies the continent’s major electrical utilities and telecommunication companies with wood utility poles and North America’s Class 1, short line and commercial railroad operators with railway ties and timbers. It also supports infrastructure with industrial products, namely wood for railway bridges and crossings, marine and foundation pilings, construction timbers and coal tar-based products. Additionally, the Company manufactures and distributes premium treated residential lumber and accessories to Canadian and American retailers for outdoor applications, with a significant portion of the business devoted to servicing Canadian customers through its national manufacturing and distribution network.

Contact:

Stephanie Corrente – Director, Corporate Communications – communications@stella-jones.com

Silvana Travaglini, CPA – Senior VP and CFO – stravaglini@stella-jones.com – (514) 934-8660

Source: Oregon Department of Justice