Pulp mill lower Caddo east of Amity AR

[BGW]

Word has it a Japanese company has purchased a large track on the lower Caddo. They built a fence around this property in
'a week. They are setting 3 phase power to this property. Does anyone know whether they have filed permits with the ADEQ
If I'm not mistaken the Caddo River is an ERW? Has anyone heard anything or know anything about this?

[Jim Krueger]

Having lived in the Arkadelphia area for many years, I have maintained a subscription to the local newspaper. Just a few days ago, I was reading some of the latest news from the Clark County Economic Development Commission and there was just a brief mention about the prospects of a paper mill, but little other information.
I took it for granted that such a plant would probably position itself in the area of the Clark County industrial park south of Arkadelphia, and to take advantage of the water potential from the Ouachita River. The Upper Caddo (near Amity) gets really low in the summer.
I'll certainly be interested in further information as it becomes available.

Best Regards
Jim

[Ouachitoff]

I'm from Arkadelphia and am VERY interested in this. I'll put out some feelers and see if I can gather more info.

[okieboater]

Way back in my working career, I worked in a paper mill.

Trees go into one end and kraft paper comes out the other end

Takes a lot of trees and a lot of water.

What I remember most was the smell that went miles from the plant

[Jim Krueger]

Okie,

I grew up in Camden, Ar. where they had a paper mill from the 1940s through about 1985. It was I'm sure of great economic benefit to the folks there, but what a price to pay for just the smell alone. Arkadelphia has always been a quite, scenic, higher-education type of town rather than one most known for heavy industry. I'm sure some folks will be rubbing their hands together in anticipation of high-paying employment, also sure there will be a number of folks there that worry that this may have regrettable consequences. If I live to be 100, I think two of the smells I that I will always recognize instantly will be DDT being dusted on cotton plants, and the smell of that paper plant.

Best Regards
Jim

[Roger]

Looks like Camden lost out on this deal.

"A company called Sun Paper — specifically Shandong Sun Paper Industry — plans to invest about $1 billion in building a plant employing 350 in one of those two south Arkansas (Camden or Arkadelphia) towns for the purpose of producing paper pulp to be exported back to China."

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article ... s-to-paper" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting note is this article appeared on 02-04-2013!

Hmmmm, let's see. Going to use more of the most precious resource that Arkansas has to make pulp for the Chinese to ship back to their country.

[Ouachitoff]

It's really a difficult subject. On one hand, the jobs that brings to a community are good, but is it really worth it in the long run to the state and its natural resources? I guess it depends on rather or not you need one of those jobs.

[Jim E]

More info here, though as dated as the article Roger posted.

[Roger]

It's really a difficult subject. On one hand, the jobs that brings to a community are good, but is it really worth it in the long run to the state and its natural resources? I guess it depends on rather or not you need one of those jobs.

Yeah, once the single most valuable natural resource in our state is depleted, polluted, wasted, ruined, etc. then all those jobs will be gone. Between the natural gas industry's demand on water along with these enterprises not to mention the demand that large scale agricultural corporations make on our state's water supply, we really are not looking to the future.

[Ouachitoff]

It's really a difficult subject. On one hand, the jobs that brings to a community are good, but is it really worth it in the long run to the state and its natural resources? I guess it depends on rather or not you need one of those jobs.

Yeah, once the single most valuable natural resource in our state is depleted, polluted, wasted, ruined, etc. then all those jobs will be gone. Between the natural gas industry's demand on water along with these enterprises not to mention the demand that large scale agricultural corporations make on our state's water supply, we really are not looking to the future.

In many ways, I don't think we as a nation are, in almost all categories. Regardless of anyone's political leanings, I think we can all agree that near-sightedness on certain issues has not set us up well for the future. I hope that we can turn this around. I'm with you though, every time I talk with my state and national representatives I bring up conserving Arkansas' natural resources, and the extreme importance that clean drinking water will play in the future. They seem to listen, but I'm afraid that money talks and BS walks when it comes to getting things done in Gov't these days.

[okieboater]

About a year ago, I read a book "When the Rivers Run Dry".

If you like to drink clean water (no matter where in the world you are) this book will provide some food for thought.

It predicts exactly what is now going on in CA.

Plus what is going on world wide when it comes to drinking water.

[Roger]

Forget oil. Water is the resource that will drive nations, regions, states, etc. to do battle with each other. Either in court or on the "playing field."

See what Nestle is doing now with regards to water resources.

[Tim Eubanks]

Forget oil. Water is the resource that will drive nations, regions, states, etc. to do battle with each other. Either in court or on the "playing field."

See what Nestle is doing now with regards to water resources.

We can make electricity from sunshine. Can't make water last time I checked. Seems like paper can be made from old paper. ?

[Roger]

And the Camden site that was offered up would have taken the site of a shut down paper plant. With a larger guaranteed supply of water. Either way. It's a lose for the state in the long run and win in the short run for the locals and win in the long run for the Chinese.

That's how I see it.

[Jim Krueger]

If there is to be another industry such as this , anywhere in S.W. Ark. I also would wish they might consider utilizing the older facility at Camden. Infrastructure already in place, and jobs needed even more so than Arkadelphia. Camden was my birth place, and it has just 'dried up on the stalk' since International Paper Company shut that paper mill down quite some years ago. If we must ship our resources abroad , I would more wish it could be in a completed form, such as finished paper products rather than pulp.


Jim