KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — The state is resuming negotiations with Graphic Packaging International to deal with air quality problems around its Kalamazoo plant.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy said it initially started escalated enforcement against GPI in July 2019, but the process was put on hold while the company performed an odor investigation study. With that completed, the process is getting back underway.

It will deal with odor violations, plus a new violation the company got in November for starting construction on a project before its air permit was approved.

EGLE warned the process could take a while. A fine will be issued and the company will reach a compliance plan. The public will get at least one more chance to weigh in before all is said and done, though a date for a meeting has not yet been set.

Neighbors say the plant has long emitted an odor and they believe gas emissions have led to health problems like asthma and COPD. EGLE says it has gotten 80 odor complaints about the plant since 2010 and issued eight odor violations since 2012, but never issued a fine.

In November, after it issued the latest violation, it told GPI to shut down one of its boilers on a recycled paperboard line. GPI said at the time it was already planning to shut that boiler down.