Additional Points on the Flawed CPI/Greenpeace Report

The Center for Public Integrity/Greenpeace report cites various required government reports as its source, but its research is outdated or interpreted incorrectly.
- Fourteen of the 19 GP facilities listed are deemed to no longer meet the criteria for high-risk chemical facilities by the Department of Homeland Security. Many of these were removed from regulation after significantly reducing their use of certain chemicals. These include the mills at Camas and Leaf River operations listed in the CPI’s report as among Koch’s “top ten.”
- The remaining five mills listed are regulated and in compliance with the regulations.
- Additionally, CPI’s reporting incorrectly cites chemicals that are not used at Port Hudson, La., and Leaf River, Miss., and makes wrong assumptions about an accident leading to a chlorine gas cloud at the Palatka, Fla., operations.

Georgia-Pacific complies with all applicable rules and regulations regarding chemical storage at industrial facilities, which have been established to protect local communities.
- We have a rigorous process safety management system in place to ensure the integrity and safety of our chemical storage and use. In fact, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has recognized Georgia-Pacific’s commitment to going beyond regulatory requirements in the company’s chemical management efforts.

It is important to keep in mind that government agencies often ask companies to provide a “worst case” scenario for a chemical release when assessing risks, and those scenarios are what the report over-emphasizes. In developing these scenarios, the government asks companies to make a lot of assumptions about facility operations and other conditions, many of which would be highly unlikely to occur together.
The chemicals we use at our facilities help us make products that are important to everyday life, and they are safe when used or handled correctly. Georgia-Pacific is committed to using sound operating and maintenance practices, safety-conscious design, employee training and routine audits in order to prevent risks to our employees, the environment and the communities in which we operate.
Contrary to the CPI/Greenpeace report, Georgia-Pacific does not use or store chlorine at its facilities. Instead it uses chlorine dioxide, which, when handled safely as Georgia-Pacific does, is a proven technology used to bleach wood fiber in the production of pulp, tissue and paper products.