WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Environment & Natural Resources Division issued the following news release:
The owner of a company that produces charcoal pleaded guilty to fabricating data relating to the air emissions from his charcoal production facility.
According to court documents, Nicholas Upchurch, 46, owned Rebel Smoke, a company in Burkesville, Kentucky, that used kilns to convert wood to charcoal. The air emissions from the facility were to be routed through emissions control facilities to reduce the air pollution released into the environment. However, as part of his plea agreement, Upchurch admitted to falsifying data submitted to the Commonwealth of Kentucky as part of compliance with the company's air...