Published 06-29-05
Submitted by Bowater Incorporated
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today will help promote both healthy forests and a strong, sustainable forest products economy for generations to come.
"This MOU reflects Bowater's long standing support and involvement in the protection of our forests by engaging in new areas of environmental stewardship," said Arnold M. Nemirow, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This understanding could not have been successfully achieved without the strong dedication and leadership of both the NRDC and Dogwood Alliance."
"Our aim is to promote local jobs and strong communities while protecting the irreplaceable landscape of the Cumberland Plateau. This new MOU will prove that we can achieve both a robust economy and a healthy environment," said John H. Adams, President of NRDC. "Bowater has shown tremendous leadership by committing to this effort. We commend them for their effort and hard work, and for taking forest stewardship into the 21st century."
"This is a major win for hundreds of communities throughout Tennessee and the Southeastern U.S. that have been living with the impacts of paper production for generations and want strong communities and good jobs without sacrificing the landscape," said Danna Smith, Policy Director for the Dogwood Alliance. "We hope other paper producers in the South will follow Bowater's lead."
"I want to congratulate Bowater, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Dogwood Alliance for the understanding they have reached to strengthen conservation efforts on the Cumberland Plateau," said Governor Phil Bredesen. "This is welcome news and we encourage others - from individuals to partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors - to contribute to the preservation and protection of special places and natural resources in Tennessee."
Highlights of the MOU include:
Bowater (NYSE: BOW) has 12 pulp and paper mills in the United States, Canada and South Korea, including a facility in Calhoun, Tennessee that is one of the largest of its type in North America. Bowater also has 12 North American sawmills producing softwood lumber and two converting facilities, including one in Covington, Tennessee. Bowater's operations are supported by approximately 1.4 million acres of timberlands owned or leased in the U.S. and Canada and 30 million acres of timber cutting rights in Canada.
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has more than 1 million members and online activists nationwide, served from offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Dogwood Alliance is a regional network of 70 grassroots organizations in 17 states and concerned citizens from across the nation sharing a mission of protecting Southern forests and communities by building broad-based, diverse support for ending unsustainable industrial forest practices.
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