THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER!

Gunns Limited are proposing to build the world’s largest chemical pulp mill at Longreach, on the banks of the Tamar River, north of Launceston.
It is such an affront to any thinking person to think it could possibly go ahead. It will, amongst other things:
· Double the amount of logging in already over exploited native forests
· Result in continued exports of woodchips
· Consume 4 million tonnes of wood per year
· Include a forest furnace burning 500,000 tonnes per year of native forest to be sold as ‘green power’
· Use 26 billion litres of fresh water per year that could be used by farmers to irrigate crops
· Discharge 64,000 tonnes of effluent per day, including dioxins and furans, into Bass Strait
· Result in many lost opportunities in a carbon-trading world
· Cause unfathomable and untested pollution of air and sea, including double the amount of ‘forest regeneration burns’ in autumn
· Contribute significantly to climate change

Gunns Limited, with the encouragement of the Tasmanian Government, has decided to build the world’s largest pulp mill in a Tasmanian valley. The purpose of this mill is to produce bleached pulp for high quality paper. The driving force behind this is Gunns’ thirst for profit, with bleached pulp bringing home much more money than exporting woodchips to pulp mills outside of Tasmania. However Gunns’ export of woodchips will continue at the same level, with an addition 4.5 million tonnes of wood being fed into this ravenous monster.

The problem with situating a pulp mill in the Tamar Valley will be protecting the environment. Pulp mills are synonymous with toxic chemicals and enormous water consumption. Presently John Howard, Paul Lennon and of course Gunns are smiling and promising to make their profits tidily but as the spotlight fades there will be a tendency to cut corners.

Where does this leave the Tamar Valley?

What can be done now?
Go to www.tellmrsmith.org and ask Mr. Smith, the new CEO of the ANZ Bank not to approve finance for the Pulp Mill.

Subscribe to the free email newsletter from Tasmanians Against the Pulp mill (TAP).

The newsletter is a short information advisory sent out once or twice per week. Personal email addresses will remain confidential.

To subscribe to the TAP newsletter please email tapcontact@gmail.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line.

Visit the TAP web site tapvision.info

Go to the Wilderness Society Tasmania for up-to-date- information on the Gunns pulp mill campaign.

VISIT http://www.myspace.com/saynotothepulpmill FOR MORE INFO AND ACTION…