louis@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Louis Schmittroth) (07/01/89)
The north half of the Province of Alberta is facing a massive instrusion of pulp mills, some bleached kraft, some CTMP (Chemi-Thermo-Mechanical-Pulp), and a giveaway of the forest resources from an area twice the size of New Brunswick to foreign-owned companies. Five of these mills will be on the Athabasca river, 2 currently operating, one approved and being built, 2 more proposed. The one near the town of Athabasca will be the "world's largest single line pulp mill in the world", and will use the chlorine-bleached kraft technology. When we first heard rumors of this in the summer of 1988, we formed an association, "Friends of the Athabasca Environmental Association" to try to prevent a bleached kraft mill from going in. The provincial government, however, gave an "approval in principle" to the company to go ahead before an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) had been even started. The company, Alberta-Pacific (32% owned by Honshu Paper, and 32% by Mistubishi), has done an EIA, but it is woefully inadequate. We are trying to promote the idea that NO MORE BLEACHED KRAFT MILLS should be authorised anywhere in the world. The process produces over 300 (known) persistent organochlorines which end up in the receiving waters, in the air, or in the landfill. There are pulping processes such as the CTMP, or the Organosolv which do not use the kraft process, and do not require chlorine to bleach. They can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten the pulp and hence cannot produce organochlorine compounds. We would appreciate anyone from anywhere in the world writing to our newly appointed Minister of the Environment pointing out that no newly licensed plants should release persistent organochlorines into the WORLD's environment. Emphasize that the environment is everybody's, not just the Province of Alberta's. Please use the following address: Hon. Ralph Klein Minister of the Environment Room 130 Legislature Bldg. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5K 2B6 Is there anyone from Japan listening? Does anyone know the address of any environmental groups in Japan? Louis Schmittroth, President Friends of the Athabasca Box 1351 Athabasca, Alberta, Canada T0B 0B0
charlesv@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Charles van Duren) (07/04/89)
In article <659@aurora.AthabascaU.CA>, louis@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Louis Schmittroth) writes: > > The north half of the Province of Alberta is facing a massive instrusion > of pulp mills, some bleached kraft, some CTMP (Chemi-Thermo-Mechanical-Pulp), > and a giveaway of the forest resources from an area twice the size of > New Brunswick to foreign-owned companies. Five of these mills will be > on the Athabasca river, 2 currently operating, one approved and being built, > 2 more proposed. > The more I follow the environment, particularly Northern Alberta pulp mill, debate, the more I get the impression that Don Getty wants the development as a memorial to his tenure as premier. Peter Lougheed got his provincial park. Don Getty (and the rest of us) will end up with the Don Getty Memorial Industrial Sewer (formerly known as the Athabasca River). Unless, of course, the Alberta government can be brought to its senses. The threat from the local politicians and ALPAC (the developing company) right now is that further delays (read environmental objections and due process) may cause abandonment of the Athabasca process. I doubt it. If they want the forest, they will accept reasonable conditions. The developing companies must have been overwhelmed by their good fortune of running into a provincial government literally willing to give away the family farm, and throw in a few hundred millions of $$$$s to boot. There are, of course, economic development objectives, but they need not subject our environment to this kind of massive assault. The Friends of the Athabasca have done a great deal to bring the long-term environmental costs of economic development to the public's attention. Whether they will be successful in altering the nature of the development remains to be seen. The politicians have a great deal at stake. Charles van Duren