Samoa Freshwater Tissue Pulp Mill To Close

Excerpt from Ukiah Daily Journal article
October 28, 2009



Bob Simpson, formerly of Louisiana-Pacific and now president of Freshwater Tissue, California's last pulp mill and the only chlorine-free/dioxin-free mill in the United States, said the mill will have to close. Simpson said the current owners of the Samoa pulp mill were unable to get federal stimulus funds to convert the Samoa mill into an integrated tissue plant. When the new owners acquired the Samoa mill in February of 2009, Simpson said, their vision was to make the mill competitive by manufacturing consumer-ready, eco-friendly, chlorine-free toilet tissue.

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." The company's vision had broad support from environmental advocacy groups, educators, foresters, community leaders and labor unions.

Greg Pallesen, Vice President of The Association of Western Pulp & Paper Workers remarked that, "The closure of the Samoa, California mill is a prime example of failed U.S. financial and trade policies, which continue to be the main cause of massive job losses in the U.S. At the same time as the green' Samoa manufacturing site is closed forever, large polluting mills in China and elsewhere are being brought online in order to supply U.S. consumers. The end result destroys working families here at home while increasing pollution worldwide. Shame on our politicians who do nothing but talk about green' job creation. This facility is closed forever, and the families and communities in Northern California will suffer for years to come."

Bob Simpson noted that with the GP power plant, the Masonite plant and now the Samoa pulp mill being closed, the market for sawmill by-products and forest fuel is financially impacting the timber industry. Pulp chips are now reduced to the value of fuel for power plants, or as landscape bedding. There are no remaining facilities, other than compost facilities, left in Mendocino County.