The famous Cluster regulations are deadly, and all major pulp and paper mills in the United States desperately

As the deadline for Cluster regulations approaches, many pulp mills will soon complete a series of transformations that comply with more stringent environmental regulations. Pulp mills must stop using chlorine and hypochlorite bleaching processes before April 15, 2001 to meet legal requirements.
Therefore, most of the work done for the compliance of the Cluster regulations came to an end last year. It is estimated that by the year 2000, the total cost of about 28 listed companies will be between 1.7 billion and 2.6 billion U.S. dollars. All costs are factory modifications that meet the air and water quality standards in the regulations. In 1999, it spent between $2.5 billion and $2.8 billion in this regard.
The MACT air standard will set emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) from the recovery furnace, ash kiln, and dissolving tanks of Kraft mills by the end of 2000. After the normal regulations are announced, each factory needs to meet the standard within 3 years. Water quality standards for unbleached paper mills will be announced between 2000 and 2002.
In the next few years, the company will invest and reform in order to achieve compliance. These include International Paper, Smurfit-Stone, GP, Baoshui and Westvaco.
The International Paper Company will invest 229 million U.S. dollars from 2000 to 2001, and from 2002 to 2006 the related project investment will be 150 to 195 million U.S. dollars. The final cost depends on the regulations of the pulp and paper mill's water quality by the Cluster regulations. International Paper Company had spent 247 million U.S. dollars in 1999 and converted 15 bleached pulp mills in the United States and Europe into eco-friendly factories using environmentally friendly eco-technology. In the third and fourth quarters of this year, the company will also renovate factories in Frankfurt, Virginia and South Carolina according to environmental protection requirements.
Smurfit-Stone's environmental protection investment in 2000 will reach 200 million U.S. dollars, mainly used to meet the standards of the Cluster regulations. In addition, the company believes that in order to achieve further standards, it will invest an additional 290 million U.S. dollars in the next few years. These include the conversion of plants in Alabama and Florida to environmentally friendly bleaching methods in 2000.
GP has spent $160 million over the past two years. In 2000, it will also spend 190 million U.S. dollars to meet the standards of the Cluster regulations. The company believes that the total cost of reaching the standard by 2006 is US$550 million. This year, it will spend $110 million to improve factories in Arkansas, Washington, and Florida. The rest will be used to improve air emissions from other pulp and paper mills in 2000.
Baoshui Company expects to invest 150 million to 200 million U.S. dollars in 2000-2004 in order to achieve compliance. The projects that are currently in compliance with the standards are the factories in Tennessee and South Carolina. In spite of the fact that each project has not been finalized, it is estimated that it will cost between 150 million and 200 million U.S. dollars to meet the new air and water quality standards.
Westco will spend $100 million to $150 million to prepare for the Cluster regulations in the coming years. In 1997, the company spent US$110 million to transform its bleached cowhide pulp mill.