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MAINE COMPANIES REDUCE TOXIC RELEASES BY 14.2% IN SINGLE YEAR, EPA NAMES TEN LARGEST POLLUTION EMITTERS

Release Date: 06/18/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1064 Dwight Peavey, EPA TRI Coordinator, (617) 918-1829

Boston -- Maine's manufacturers reduced the amount of toxics released into the air, water and land by 70.7% between 1988 and 1996, according to data released today by EPA's New England office. The improved environmental performance of Maine's manufacturing facilities represents a reduction of 14.2% over the previous year, far out-pacing the 5% rate of improvement nationally and slightly below the New England-wide improvement rate of 18%.

"We are showing the nation once again that we can grow the New England economy while reducing pollution. Companies across the region are proving that smart environmental practices equal smart business practices," said EPA's New England Administrator John P. DeVillars.

"This is terrific news," said Commissioner Ned Sullivan of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. "It is a tribute to the efforts of Maine's business community and DEP staff who are encouraging pollution prevention. Getting toxics out of the manufacturing process is the way to protect the environment, and the health of workers. It's also good for the bottom line."

Beginning in 1988, manufacturers were required to send pollutant information to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). A review of data shows that Maine's industries have reduced pollution from 14,661,906 pounds in 1988 to just 4,302,981 in 1996 (the last year for which data is available). That is a 70.7% reduction in chemicals entering the environment. The national average for pollution reduction during the same time period is 47.5%.

The following is a list of Maine's ten largest emitters of toxic chemicals. It is important to note that these chemical emissions are reported to EPA under the TRI and do not reflect illegal discharges of pollutants to the environment.

COMPANY NAME	ADDRESS	TOTAL # pounds Chemicals emitted locally
S. D. Warren Co.	Westbrook	1,126,747
Mead Corp.	Rumford	945,129
S. D. Warren Co.	Skowhegan	852,588
Georgia-Pacific Corp.	Woodland	806,498
Bowater/Great Northern	Millinocket	701,920
International Paper	Jay	617,002
Champion Intl. Corp.	Bucksport	612,270
James River Corp.	Old Town	539,141
Lincoln Pulp & Paper Co.	Lincoln	316,913
Bowater/Great Northern	East Millinocket	244,161

The 1996 TRI data also shows that in Maine 15.1 million pounds ( 15%) of toxic wastes were recycled, 11.5 million pounds (12%) were used for energy recovery, 63.8 million pounds (65%) were treated before disposal, and 1.1 million (1%) were disposed of at a location other than at the facility.

"EPA's New England office has the largest assistance and pollution prevention program in the nation, and the efforts of this program are helping to reduce environmental impacts across New England," said DeVillars.

The reporting of data to the Toxics Release Inventory is required under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, passed in 1986. The TRI provides the amount, location and type of release to the environment -- whether a pollutant is emitted into the air, discharged into the water, or released onto the land. It also includes information on waste shipped off-site for disposal or further treatment. The TRI has been credited with arming communities with valuable knowledge and encouraging facilities to reduce their releases of toxic chemicals into the environment through source reduction, or pollution prevention, measures.

TRI information is easily accessible to the news media and to the public. Information is available on-line, HTTP://WWW.EPA.GOV/OPPTINTR/TRI, in hard copy and in a variety of computer formats, including CD-ROM. For copies or more information, the public is encouraged to call EPA's toll-free Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Information Hotline at 1(800) 424-9346.