ARCC Applauds EPA Pulp and Paper Cluster Rule Decision

EPA's "Option A" Will Promote Sustainable U.S. Paper Industry, Jobs

After years of scientific investigation, EPA has issued new wastewater and air emissions limits for a large part of the U.S. pulp and paper industry. As specified under EPA's "Option A", the new water limits call for all the bleached paper grade kraft pulp mills in the U.S. to replace elemental chlorine with chlorine dioxide in the pulp bleaching process. Switching to chlorine dioxide as specified under Option A will reduce dioxin emissions from mills by over 96 percent, resulting in undetectable dioxin levels in water emissions. Environmental groups had lobbied for EPA to require, in addition, that the affected mills add an oxygen delignification step to the bleaching process or substantially modify their pulping processes under the so-called "Option B." Option B would have cost the U.S. industry $1.8 billion more than Option A and would have cost as many as 7,000 jobs - while reducing dioxin emissions by only 1 percentage point more.

"This is clearly a victory for a balanced approach to sustainable industry," said Wayne Glenn, Co-Chairman of ARCC and President Emeritus of the United Paperworkers International Union (UPIU). Other officials of the UPIU and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America noted that even EPA's decision to adopt Option A - the chlorine dioxide method - will cost U.S. mills over $1 billion. ARCC sent a letter to President Clinton in March of this year urging him to support jobs and sustainable industry by supporting the switch from elemental chlorine to chlorine dioxide.