Inland Empire Paper Co. (IEP) fully supports protecting our region’s most valuable environmental resource, the Spokane River. We have a long history of exemplary compliance with all required permits and operate well below the limits specified in those permits.

IEP continues to research new methods to further improve upon its operations and environmental quality. We will continue to spend the capital necessary to keep us at the forefront of having the “best available control technologies.”

Why am I pointing this out? Because despite signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with us after two years of negotiations, regulatory agencies are proposing revisions to the agreement that would cut the timeline in half, add constituents, and tighten already extreme nutrient limitations.

The Spokane River cleanup plan conforms to IEP’s core philosophy of environmental stewardship. Although IEP is a minor contributor of total phosphorus to the river (approximately 2 percent), we are proud to have been an integral participant in crafting the original cleanup plan, memorialized in the MOA between the permit holders and the Washington state Department of Ecology. We believe all participants are committed to taking a proactive approach to improving river water quality.

Let me provide a few facts regarding the cleanup plan:

“ IEP is the first facility in the region to invest in equipment for the removal of phosphorus. In a good-faith effort, we have already spent $3 million towards attaining the goals of the MOA. This was done prior to the implementation of any regulatory mandates.

“ We will invest an estimated $12 million in the next five years to install the best available control technology for additional phosphorus removal.

“ During the collaborative process, IEP researched and tested six new state of the art phosphorus-removal technologies. This testing and the results were openly shared with all the participants of the collaboration.

“ Also during the collaborative process, IEP initiated an aggressive water conservation, reclamation and reuse program as additional steps toward attaining the goals of the agreement. This also was done prior to the implementation of any regulatory mandates.

“ The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Ecology unilaterally altered the agreement long after the MOA had been signed. The duration of the cleanup plan has been reduced from 20 to 10 years, a timeline that is too short to implement, evaluate and attain the goals of the plan. The phosphorus limit of 10 parts per billion, which is believed by most to be unattainable, was further reduced by 20 percent. In addition, two new constituents have been added with equally stringent limits that were not included in the original agreement.

“ Forty-five percent of the total phosphorus contribution to the Long Lake Reservoir originates from “point sources” such as municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. Removing all of the phosphorus from the point sources would not achieve the standard set by Ecology.

“ The remaining 55 percent originates from “non-point” sources such as agricultural runoff, animal waste, fertilizers, failing septic systems and stormwater runoff. The cleanup plan does not provide specifics as to how the non-point source phosphorus will be reduced. The plan expects the point source dischargers to reduce non-point sources so the standard set by Ecology can be achieved. In effect, the “point sources” must bear the entire burden of the agreement with no reasonable assurance of success.

The bottom line is we at IEP believe the carefully negotiated MOA should be honored. While the propriety of honoring this agreement is debated we remain committed to the cleanup plan and will continue to implement measures towards achieving its goals to the best of our ability. Furthermore, we will continue our efforts to negotiate with the regulating agencies to honor the agreement as signed by all parties and to do everything in our power to protect the river.