Xref: utzoo sci.environment:1645 can.politics:2624 can.general:1341
Path: utzoo!lsuc!atha!louis
From: louis@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Louis Schmittroth)
Newsgroups: sci.environment,can.politics,can.general
Subject: No more bleached kraft pulp mills
Keywords: organochlorines dioxins furans
Message-ID: <659@aurora.AthabascaU.CA>
Date: 1 Jul 89 16:16:46 GMT
Organization: Athabasca U, Alberta, Canada
Lines: 47


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