Northwest Pulp Mill Closing Permanently

BELLINGHAM, WA-Georgia-Pacific Corp., based in Atlanta, reached into this Northwest corner of the country to close a pulp mill that’s been a pillar on Bellingham Bay for more than 75 years. The mill and adjacent chemical plant had been “temporarily” shut down since December. The recent announcement by Georgia-Pacific makes the closure pemanent, effecting some 400 jobs.

The announcement was made just hours before the Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) expired over the weekend, sending fear waves throughout the lumber-crippled region but especially up Interstate 5 to the Canadian border. The SLA caps the amount of duty-free lumber Canada can export into the United States. While a temporary extension is expected, the long-term possibilities of higher U.S. duties on Canada lumber have sparked counter moves by Canadian officials to the World Trade Organization.