Temple-Inland's Bogalusa, Louisiana, pulp and paper mill target of more legal claims following black liquor discharge Aug. 8 into Pearl River

Diane Keaton

LOS ANGELES , September 6, 2011 (Forestweb) – Three Louisiana residents filed suit Aug. 29 against Temple-Inland Inc. following the Aug. 8 discharge of black liquor from its Bogalusa pulp and paper mill into the Pearl River, The Louisana Record reported Sept. 6.

Temple-Inland allegedly discharged up to 100 times more of the chemicals than its permit allowed, the newspaper reported.

The individuals who filed in Washington Parish District Court, Louisiana, said they had become ill from eating contaminated fish, aiding in cleanup of the fish, or from living near the discharge site.

At the request of Temple-Inland, the case was moved to federal court in New Orleans, The Louisiana Record reported.

The Bogalusa mill is alleged to be known for failing to follow simple safety procedures and it is accused of failing to shut down the mill as soon as the spill was discovered and of failing to notify appropriate agencies of the discharge, according to the legal filing. The suit alleges almost a dozen failures on the company's part.

Last month three class-action lawsuits were also filed regarding the discharge, The Louisiana Record reported.

Austin, Texas-based Temple-Inland focuses on manufacture of corrugated packaging and building products.

The primary source of this article is The Louisiana Record, Sept. 6, 2011.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.