''Company Town'' is an environmental
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
by Natalie Kottke-Masocco and Erica Sardarian about alleged pollution by a
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
plant in
Crossett, Arkansas
Crossett is the largest city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 5,507, according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates. Combined with North Crossett and West Crossett, the population is 10,752. Crossett was incorporated in ...
, shot from 2011 to 2015.
The documentary alleges that a spate of fatal cancers and other illnesses is due in part to the factory's emissions and improper waste disposal of known carcinogens including
formaldehyde
Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...
,
dioxin
Dioxin may refer to:
* 1,2-Dioxin or 1,4-Dioxin, two unsaturated heterocyclic 6-membered rings where two carbon atoms have been replaced by oxygen atoms, giving the molecular formula C4H4O2
*Dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound also known as ...
,
acetaldehyde
Acetaldehyde (IUPAC systematic name ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3 CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is a colorless liquid or gas, boiling near room temperature. It is one of the mos ...
, and
chloroform
Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...
.
The plant has been owned by
David Koch
David Hamilton Koch ( ; May 3, 1940 – August 23, 2019) was an American businessman, political activist, philanthropist, and chemical engineer. In 1970, he joined the family business: Koch Industries, the second largest privately held c ...
and
Charles Koch
Charles de Ganahl Koch ( ; born November 1, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman. As of November 2022, he was ranked as the 13th richest person in the world on ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'', with an estimated net worth of $66 billio ...
since 2005.
The film includes testimony from
whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
David Guice, whose company was allegedly contracted to quietly dispose of "two hundred thousand cubic yards of 'ash' dredged from the Georgia-Pacific paper mill’s sediment ponds" across
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
property in the town.
Baptist pastor David Bouie, 'riverkeeper' Cheryl Slavant, and others organize the Crossett community, many of whom work for the plant, and engage the regional
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
office with limited results. The movie features commentary from American news commentator
Van Jones
Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American news and political commentator, author, and lawyer. He is the co-founder of several non-profit organizations, a three-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author, a CNN host and c ...
.
Background
Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill
Georgia-Pacific employs nearly 1,200 people in Arkansas. In
Crossett, Arkansas
Crossett is the largest city in Ashley County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 5,507, according to 2010 Census Bureau estimates. Combined with North Crossett and West Crossett, the population is 10,752. Crossett was incorporated in ...
, with an estimated population of 5,507 in 2010, many residents are employed by the local Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill. In fact, "most residents are fiercely protective of the plant."
However, there have been allegations that the Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill is responsible for clusters of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
deaths in Crossett, particularly among mill-workers and those who live close to the mill. (Although, the "
Arkansas Department of Health
The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH or commonly Health Department within the state) is a department of the government of Arkansas under the Governor of Arkansas. It is responsible for protecting health and well-being for all Arkansans. ADH is a ...
cancer registry shows the age-adjusted rate of cancer deaths in
Ashley County, Arkansas
Ashley County is a rural South Arkansas county with a culture, economy, and history based on timber and agriculture. Created as Arkansas's 52nd county on November 30, 1848, Ashley County has seven incorporated municipalities, including Hamburg, ...
to be slightly below the state average.")
The plant, which employs many of the town's residents, "emits upwards of 1.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals every year according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
's Toxic Release Inventory," including "known
carcinogens
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis (the formation of cancer). This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substan ...
such as
formaldehyde
Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section F ...
,
dioxin
Dioxin may refer to:
* 1,2-Dioxin or 1,4-Dioxin, two unsaturated heterocyclic 6-membered rings where two carbon atoms have been replaced by oxygen atoms, giving the molecular formula C4H4O2
*Dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound also known as ...
,
acetaldehyde
Acetaldehyde (IUPAC systematic name ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3 CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is a colorless liquid or gas, boiling near room temperature. It is one of the mos ...
and
chloroform
Chloroform, or trichloromethane, is an organic compound with chemical formula, formula Carbon, CHydrogen, HChlorine, Cl3 and a common organic solvent. It is a colorless, strong-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to ...
".
The plant also emits
hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
into both the air, and the water, earning one creek the nickname "Stink Creek". Residents have complained about the plant's emissions since the 1990s, causing
Georgia-Pacific
Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...
to offer thousands of dollars to residents, in return for "signed release forms absolving the company of any responsibility for damages to the residents’ property — or their health."
In 2012, the
Louisiana Environmental Action Network
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
commissioned air-monitoring stations in Crossett that found "hydrogen sulfide levels were highest nearest the stream and that higher levels corresponded with greater and more severe symptoms among residents."
In November 2015, an EPA inspection "found 33 areas where Georgia-Pacific was noncompliant with federal laws and dozens of other areas of concern," including "several defective pieces of equipment that were allowing unidentified gases to escape into the atmosphere" and "filtrate tanks and storage tanks that were knowingly being vented into the atmosphere rather than through a controlled system, as required by the
Clean Air Act."
Ouachita River
The
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It is the 25th-longest river in the United States ( ...
begins in western Arkansas, upstream from
Lake Ouachita
Lake Ouachita (''Pronounced WAH-shi-tah'') is a reservoir created by the damming of the Ouachita River by Blakely Mountain Dam ().
Blakely Mountain Dam was built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1948 to 1953 for hydroelectric p ...
, flows south and passes about 10 miles west of Crossett. In 2007, alarmed by the change of the river from "vibrant blue" at its source in western Arkansas, to a "dark coffee color" with a "foul stench", Cheryl Slavant began the Ouachita Riverkeeper organization to "restore and monitor the Ouachita River watershed".
However, Georgia-Pacific believes the "water treatment system is thorough, carefully monitored and in full compliance with the law," including the water treatment canal known as 'Stink Creek'.
They referenced their permit from the Arkansas Department for Environmental Quality.
However, an employee from
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, environmental protection organization of local, state, and national government natural resource and environmental professionals. PEER serves as a resource to poten ...
alleges that, because the water known as 'Stink Creek' is a natural body of water known as Coffee Creek, it is protected under the 1972
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...
. The
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
maps seem to support this allegation, showing Coffee Creek originating inside the land that Georgia-Pacific would eventually own.
However, the Clean Water Act only specifies that pollutants not "disrupt the activities in those waters, such as fishing, drinking and supporting animal life". Since the Arkansas Department for Environmental Quality found that the water affected by the pollutants does not have "fishable/swimmable or domestic water supply uses", the use of the water by Georgia-Pacific was not illegal.
However, a December 2007
Use Attainability Analysis
Use may refer to:
* Use (law), an obligation on a person to whom property has been conveyed
* Use (liturgy), a special form of Roman Catholic ritual adopted for use in a particular diocese
* Use–mention distinction, the distinction between using ...
(UAA) by the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
(EPA) found that “aside from the fish and macroinvertebrate communities using Coffee Creek and Mossy Lake, other wildlife live in or frequently contact the
eorgia-Pacificeffluent. Muskrat, beaver, nutria, turtles and ducks are known to use Coffee Creek and Mossy Lake, sometimes in very large numbers.” Relevantly, “the waters of Coffee Creek and Mossy Lake have the potential to support aquatic life indicative of streams in the ecoregion.”
In response, Georgia-Pacific accused the EPA of "acting without its knowledge and demanding the opportunity to redo the study using a contractor of its choosing," causing the UAA to be discarded.
Ouachita Riverkeeper
After a phone call from citizens in Crossett, who believed that the Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill was the source of much of
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River ( ) is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana. It is the 25th-longest river in the United States ( ...
pollution, Cheryl Slavant helped organize Crossett Concerned Citizens for Environmental Justice. Members included Baptist pastor David Bouie, who features in the documentary.
In May 2016, "the Ouachita Riverkeeper and Louisiana Environmental Action Network filed petitions with the
EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
under Title VI of the 1964
Civil Rights Act
Civil Rights Act may refer to several acts of the United States Congress, including:
* Civil Rights Act of 1866, extending the rights of emancipated slaves by stating that any person born in the United States regardless of race is an American ci ...
demanding that it take action against the plant; they argue that its waste disposal disproportionately affects nearby
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
neighborhoods" with help from the
Tulane Environmental Law Clinic The Tulane Environmental Law Clinic (TELC) is a legal clinic that Tulane Law School has operated since 1989 to offer law students the practical experience of representing real clients in actual legal proceedings under state and federal environmenta ...
.
The Ouachita Riverkeeper organization currently lists Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill in Crossett as its main environmental threat to its mission for releasing "toxic chemicals, carcinogens, and toxic metals."
Reception
The film opened at the
Mill Valley Film Festival
The Mill Valley Film Festival is an annual American film festival founded in 1977.
History
In October 1977, Mark Fishkin, Rita Cahill and Lois Cole organized a three-day film festival. It featured three film tributes, Francis Ford Coppola's ''T ...
. ''Company Town'' has received positive responses from critics. It received an 83% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
.
The
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
called the film "powerful", noting that "Although the movie... could use some second-half tightening and a bit more objectivity (Georgia-Pacific and Koch Industries did not comment in the film), it remains a vital, eye-opening portrait."
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
wrote that the film paints the EPA as "incapable of stopping flagrant polluters even when a community and journalists did its investigations," and "will add to the case files of industry-vs.-America crime-fighting". However, "the film would be well served by some objective third-party input and hard stats: Kottke-Masocco and Sardarian have mostly offered us (horrific)
anecdotal evidence
Anecdotal evidence is evidence based only on personal observation, collected in a casual or non-systematic manner. The term is sometimes used in a legal context to describe certain kinds of testimony which are uncorroborated by objective, independ ...
, along with general discussion of
Koch Industries
Koch Industries, Inc. ( ) is an American privately held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiaries are involved in th ...
' efforts to quash regulation"
Ben Kenisberg of the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
wrote that the film "feels fueled by pure desperation" and the "rudimentary qualities of the filmmaking... somehow add to its urgency." Kenisberg comments that "staff members from the Environmental Protection Agency... do not appear overly concerned by the seriousness of the complaints."
See also
* ''
Koch Brothers Exposed
''Koch Brothers Exposed'' is a 2012 U.S. documentary, compiled by filmmaker Robert Greenwald from a viral video campaign produced by Brave New Films, about the political activities of the Koch brothers.Brookes, Julian (April 20, 2012)The Koch Br ...
''
* ''
Dark Money
In the politics of the United States, dark money refers to spending to influence elections where the source of the money is not disclosed to voters. In the United States, some types of nonprofit organizations may spend money on campaigns wi ...
''
* ''
Citizen Koch
''Citizen Koch'' is a 2013 film produced and directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, concerning the political influence of American plutocrats on the political process following the US Supreme Court decision in ''Citizens United v. FEC'' which grant ...
''
References
External links
*
Ouachita Riverkeeper website* {{Official website, https://www.companytownfilm.com/
Films about the Kochs
2010s English-language films