Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit against Pullman Innovations, an animal feed facility on the Southeast Side, for years of excessive foul odors and environmental violations that have harmed nearby residents, schools, and churches.
- The lawsuit targets Pullman Innovations for allowing excessive odors, illegal air pollution, and operating equipment without required permits.
- Residents have filed hundreds of complaints describing putrid smells resembling rotten eggs, garbage, and sewage that force families to keep windows closed.
- Illinois EPA inspectors observed extremely strong odors that made breathing difficult during February 2025 inspections.
- The U.S. EPA issued a Notice of Violation in March 2022 for Clean Air Act violations, and Illinois EPA denied a construction permit in January 2025 for unauthorized boiler installation.
- Illinois EPA approved a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer in June 2026 to help reduce emissions and address odor problems at the facility.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit Wednesday against a Southeast Side animal feed facility, alleging the company has subjected nearby residents to years of nauseating odors while violating state environmental laws.
The lawsuit targets A-F Acquisition LLC, operating as Pullman Innovations, accusing the company of allowing excessive odors, causing illegal air pollution, building a boiler without required permits and violating conditions of its operating permit.
The facility, which converts byproducts of commercial edible oil into animal feed ingredients, is located in an area of environmental justice concern where residents have spoken out for years about the debilitating effects.
Community impact
Residents living near the facility have filed hundreds of complaints over the years describing putrid smells resembling rotten eggs, garbage, sewage and rotting meat.
Several residents report being forced to keep windows closed due to the nauseating smells and being unable to enjoy outdoor activities. Family events are regularly interrupted when odors chase people inside. The problem extends to nearby schools and a local church, where recess has been canceled and events including weddings, funerals and outdoor festivals have been ruined.
“Residents in the community surrounding the Pullman Innovations facility should be able to enjoy their lives and homes without having to endure the foul odors coming from the company’s operations,” Raoul said in a statement. “The company needs to address the odor issues and air pollution and ensure that its operations comply with Illinois’ environmental laws.”
Inspection findings
When Illinois Environmental Protection Agency inspectors visited the site in February 2025, they observed extremely strong odors both inside and outside the facility buildings. At times, the smells made breathing difficult for the inspectors themselves.
City of Chicago inspectors conducting numerous visits in response to complaints also encountered odors that made breathing difficult and caused nausea.
“Pullman has repeatedly failed to correct the conditions that have burdened its community,” said Corporation Counsel Mary B. Richardson-Lowry. “Today, the City joins the attorney general in bringing this action because the long-suffering residents deserve relief and because environmental compliance is not optional.”
Enforcement history
The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, stems from a referral by the IEPA.
According to enforcement records, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a Notice of Violation to Pullman in March 2022, citing violations of the Clean Air Act and the Illinois State Implementation Plan.
In January 2025, Illinois EPA denied Pullman’s construction permit application for a third natural gas boiler because the company had already installed the equipment before applying for the permit. The agency issued a violation notice in May 2025 related to that unauthorized installation and other alleged violations, including failure to control odors and properly maintain pollution controls.
In June 2026, Illinois EPA issued a construction permit allowing Pullman to install a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer, an air pollution control device designed to reduce emissions of volatile organic material and help address odor problems.
Illinois EPA Director James Jennings said the lawsuit represents “a step in the right direction to ensure the company properly addresses emissions from the facility in a manner that will resolve odor complaints in the area.”
