Foliot Furniture, Inc., a Canadian furniture manufacturer with plants in Greeneville and Newport, has received a notice of a violation from Tennessee's Division of Air Quality Control.

The May 1 notice told Foliot it was in violation, "since you did not apply for a construction permit prior to construction of these sources," referring to the Greeneville plant's woodworking and sanding operations.

The notice added that a state regulation "requires construction permits to be submitted as much as four months prior to the estimated starting date of construction."

Foliot Furniture opened its Greeneville plant a little more than one year ago to make furniture -- beds, chairs, desks and dressers -- primarily for college dormitories and motels.

Foliot's Greeneville plant, which is off Serral Drive not far from U.S. 11E, now has about 30 employees, but plans to double employment this year, its managers have said.

The plant has been making 150 to 300 pieces of furniture daily, but plans to increase its volume by the end of the year to about 500 pieces of furniture made daily, according to Genevieve Briere, a Foliot vice president who oversees the company's Tennessee plants.

The May 1 violation notice from the state asked Foliot to submit "any information that proves that the allegation of noncompliance is unwarranted," but warned that the company may be fined.

Daniel Foliot, president of Foliot Furniture Inc., was asked to comment. He submitted the following statement:

"We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the article in regards to the notice of the violation for our Greeneville facility.

"Although the sources were constructed and operative before the issue of the permit, Foliot Furniture did provide proper air pollution control equipment and we have not had to make any changes to the sources to comply with the conditions of the construction permit.

"So Foliot Furniture is pleased that the facility did not violate any emission standards or cause harm to the environment.

"At the present time Foliot Furniture through its processing of product can contribute up to six points toward LEED certification of a project.

"Further we are in the process of being FSC-certified SMARTWOOD manufacturing," the company's release said.

(Editors: A Foliot environmental specialist said LEED Certification is a new way of ranking "construction projects" in terms of how "environmentally friendly" they are. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Six points is the maximum positive rating that can be given furniture.

"FSC-certified SMARTWOOD manufacturing" refers to the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies products.)

The Foliot spokesperson said such certification means "companies we're buying from have received FSC certification in regard to the way they harvest forest products.")

The company's statement continued, "We believe in the protection of the environment and sustainability of our children's future. Through our mission statement we confirm these beliefs."

Mr. Foliot also referred to the following mission statement of the company:

"Foliot Furniture's mission is to design and build top quality furniture while providing a harmonious environment for its clients, employees and surrounding community.

"Based on solid values and engineered performance, the company operates with a participative management style and sustainable development practices in order to foster economic growth and encourage its employees' personal development."

The company's statement concluded, "We would like to invite everybody to contact us with constructive criticism and ideas in order to help us carry out our mission."

The Greeneville Sun also inquired with the state's Division of Air Pollution Control about the Foliot plants' disposal of formaldehyde.

Formaldeyhde is defined as "a pungent gas, HCHO, used in solution as a strong disinfectant and preservative, and in the manufacture of synthetic resins, dyes, etc."

Meg Lockhart, deputy communications director for the Division of Air Pollution Control, responded in writing, "This past fall, Foliot Furniture obtained a permit from the department's Division of Solid Waste Management for the disposal of sawdust containing small amounts of formaldehyde.

"Disposal of this material would be ... considered a special waste. The special waste was approved to be disposed of at the Iris Glen Environmental Center," which is in Johnson City.

Lockhart's response continued, "In this particular case, it is our understanding that trace amounts of formaldehyde in the sawdust would be from laminated particle board and not from the material added on site ...

"These emissions would be insignificant from our standpoint because most of the formaldehyde would have been emitted when the wood product was manufactured at another site."

The Air Pollution Control spokespserson concluded, "Based on the information we know about Foliot Furniture, there is no reason to be concerned that an unacceptable public exposure to formaldehyde is occurring at this (Greeneville) facility."