Recently, two state bills have been proposed concerning the discharge of dioxin from Maine’s seven kraft paper mills. One bill requires the mills to stop discharing dioxins by meeting non-detect for dioxin at the bleach plant by July 1998 and by achieving non-detect for both dioxin and furan (2,3,7,8 TCDD and TCDF) along with demonstrating that fish tissue levels of dioxins below the mill are no higher than an upstream reference site by December 2002. The other bill requires the mills to eliminate dioxins by eliminating the use of chlorine-based compounds in the bleaching process by December 2002. The Environmental Protection Agency has been asked if we support one bill over the other.

Both bills go beyond current and anticipated future federal requirements for dioxin control, therefore, while EPA would be pleased to see either of these bills pass, we are not taking a position in support of one bill over the other. This choice is a policy decision for the state of Maine.

In the spirit of the Clean Water Act’s goal to eliminate the discharge of all pollutants, however, EPA hopes that as the mills modernize their bleaching processes to comply with the requirements of either bill they look ahead and give serious consideration to taking advantage of opportunities for reduction and even elimination of bleach plant filtrate discharges. Stephen J. Silva Manager, EPA Maine state office