Green paper mill lacks federal stimulus funds; will close
Freshwater Tissue would have created nearly 3,000 green jobs for economically devastated Northern California.
PRESS RELEASE -- Converting Magazine, 10/21/2009 12:18:59 AM
Freshwater Tissue, California's last pulp mill and the only chlorine-free/dioxin-free mill in the US plans to permanently close. The current owners of the Samoa, CA, pulp mill were unable to obtain federal stimulus funds to convert the Samoa mill into an integrated tissue plant. The plant would have served as an exemplary model of responsible and environmentally sound American manufacturing.
In spite of the Samoa mill's status as the only chlorine-free/dioxin-free pulp mill in the United States, the mill has struggled since the mid 1990's to compete with foreign competition. When the new owners acquired the Samoa mill in February of 2009, their vision was to make the mill competitive by manufacturing consumer-ready, eco-friendly, chlorine-free toilet tissue. The vision included consuming by-products of the Redwood forest, such as tanoak trees, which are a valueless, disease-stricken hardwood tree species that at present is an extreme fire hazard to the Redwood region. The company's vision had broad support from environmental advocacy groups, educators, foresters, community leaders and labor unions. Unfortunately, the banking industry collapsed, and both federal and state lawmakers, including Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), were unable to help fund a shovel ready, job creating, and renewable stimulus project. As a result, 425 direct and 2,500 indirect green jobs have been lost permanently for California's North Coast region.
Rick Hind, Legislative Director of Greenpeace said of the closure, "It's outrageous that the federal government, which just offered $55 million for experimental ‘clean coal' technologies, could not find a penny for a proven chlorine-free pulp mill and the green jobs it would support."
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