[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 84 (Friday, May 19, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           LOUISIANA PACIFIC RECEIVES DOE ANTIPOLLUTION AWARD

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                            HON. FRANK RIGGS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 1995
  Mr. RIGGS. Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest challenges we face today 
is protecting our environment while sustaining economic growth. We 
simply must do both, and when we see a success story, we have the 
responsibility to not only tell others about it.
  Such is the case with the Louisiana-Pacific Corp. and its pulp mill 
in Samoa, CA, in the First Congressional District which I represent. As 
a testament to the company's forward thinking and innovativeness, they 
have developed the only chlorine-free Kraft pulp mill in North America.
  The leaders of the company and mill have worked for years to improve 
the effluent from the plant and now their diligence is being rewarded. 
The Department of Energy has announced that Louisiana-Pacific has been 
awarded a grant under its National Industrial Competitiveness through 
Energy, Environment and Economics project, which seeks to prevent 
pollution, save energy and produce benefits to the Nation's economy.
  The work undertaken by Louisiana-Pacific under the grant will 
implement a closed cycle system at the Samoa Mill, which will eliminate 
effluent from the mill's bleach plant. It will assure that no bleach 
plant wastewater will be discharged into the Pacific Ocean.
  The Samoa Mill, constructed in 1964, produces an average of 650 tons 
of bleached Kraft pulp per day from waste and wood chips generated by 
local sawmills. In January 1994, the Samoa Mill became the only North 
American Kraft pulp mill to produce bleached pulp without the use of 
chlorine or chlorine-containing compounds on a permanent basis.
  Because the mill has converted to totally chlorine free, or TCF, it 
has unique opportunities for taking the next steps to achieve closed 
cycle operation. The successful commercialization of a full scale TCF 
closed cycle Kraft pulp mill in the United States, with its resultant 
environmental benefits, would have worldwide implications.
  When the award was made, Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary praised 
Louisiana-Pacific's innovative research. It was her belief that the 
company's commitment to pollution prevention and energy conservation 
will lead the pulp and paper industry into the next millennia.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Bob Simpson, Louisiana-Pacific's general 
manager, Fred Martin, manager of the Samoa Mill, and all of those who 
work for this important northern California employer. I also urge my 
colleagues to do their part for the environment and consider using 
totally chlorine free paper, which is available from the House Office 
Supply Service.


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