10.19.22

Cantwell Celebrates Job-Creating NORPAC Paper Recycling Facility Upgrades in Longview

Cantwell: “I think it's a lesson for the entire nation … NORPAC answered the call … and saved a lot of jobs here in Cowlitz County.”

LONGVIEW, WA – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, today joined local business and community leaders for a ribbon-cutting of a new state-of-the-art paper pulper facility at North Pacific Paper Corporation (NORPAC).

NORPAC recently invested $50 million in new equipment to expand their production of packaging paper from recycled waste paper. This new investment has created 100 new jobs at the mill, and allowed NORPAC to increase their recycling capacity from 300,000 metric tons to 800,000 metric tons per year of recycled waste paper.

During her remarks, Sen. Cantwell reflected on her involvement in helping NORPAC negotiate lower electricity rates while the company pivoted from making newsprint to making packaged paper.

“I can’t tell you how many hours, weeks, months, that [my staff] spent on the phone battling over this to give a little relief for NORPAC so they could make this major investment,” said Sen. Cantwell.

Regarding NORPAC’s transformation, Sen. Cantwell noted: “I think it's a lesson for the entire nation. You’re a community in transformation. But NORPAC answered the call. They created a new market, they created a new opportunity, and they created a lot of jobs here and saved a lot of jobs here in Cowlitz County.”

NORPAC transforms wastepaper that would otherwise end up in the landfill into lightweight recycled papers that can be used for various packaging products, like corrugated boxes, displays, and bags. With their plant upgrades, NORPAC can take all of the recycled waste paper in Washington, Oregon and Idaho and transform it into 100% recycled packaging paper.

Waste paper was formerly shipped to Asia for recycling, but those markets no longer take it. Sen. Cantwell was instrumental in helping NORPAC pivot to accept and recycle this paper.

VIDEO of ribbon cutting with Sen. Cantwell is available for use HERE. A livestream recording is available HERE.

PHOTOS from today’s ceremony are available for use HERE.

A transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks are available HERE.

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