McKinley
Paper Co. ends closure rumor
Andrea Egger
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Employees of McKinley Paper Co. in Prewitt hope
to dispel any rumors flying around that the company might close.
On Tuesday, Jan McKibben, human resources manager for the company,
said a couple years ago people from another company were considering
purchasing the plant, which had employees in an uproar. But
in the fall of 2003, company executives decided the company
is not for sale, she said.
"The paper industry is cyclical. We've been going through
a down cycle the past few years," McKibben said.
But she expects this year the prices will increase for paper
products produced by the company.
The McKinley County company, owned by Durango-McKinley in Durango,
Colo., has been lucky, as other companies around the country
have had to close down to weather a poor economy, McKibben said.
About 125 employees, mostly from McKinley and Cibola counties,
work at the company, located off of County Road 19 in Prewitt
close to Grants,
Since 1997, the McKinley Paper Company has increased material
reuse by improving employee training and technology improvements.
These improvements also caused water use to be at 19 percent.
The company produces about 150,000 tons of linerboard and creates
new cardboard boxes and cardboard products basically taking
old ragged cardboard and turning it into new cardboard boxes
using a complicated process involving a lot of machines, some
water and hopefully not too much waste.
Because of the Prewitt company's efficiency, Environmental Protection
Agency performance track coordinator Craig Weeks visited the
plant in August 2002 and said he finds it to go beyond the call
of duty in environmental obligations of conservation. Through
the 2-year-old Performance Track, which rewards top performance
for facilities that go beyond legal requirements and help protect
the environment, Weeks is watching the Prewitt plant's progress.
So far, he said he's impressed.
For instance, the company needs no permits for air, water discharge,
hazardous waste and also doesn't have to report to the EPA's
Toxic Release Inventory, as toxicity generation is near to nil
at the plant, he said.
In fact, McKinley Paper Company in 2002 was selected by the
New Mexico Environment Department to receive the Green Zia Environmental
Excellence Award, in part because of its location next to an
existing power plant, where it can use electric, steam, water
and sanitary sewer facilities without having to have its own,
which takes away from the environment, Weeks noted.
The award also was given because of McKinley Paper Company's
ability to use electricity and steam to run the manufacturing
process and then reuse the steam condensation in other projects.
The company also built a water recycling plant, the state environment
department noted in its decision to award the company.
The facility also uses less than a 10th of the water used by
many recycled paperboard mills and about 97 percent less water
than non-recycled paper mills, with no liquid discharge, Weeks
said.
Weeks was "impressed" with teamwork at the facility
when he visited in August 2002. "They are really committed
to protecting the environment," he said.
About 300 companies throughout the country participate in the
EPA's Performance Track program, including a facility in Albuquerque.
Companies that apply to Performance Track have to have a system
already in place to protect the environment and have a history
of complying with regulations as well as making improvements
and having community outreach, Weeks said.
Being involved in Performance Track ensures members won't be
hassled as much with routine EPA inspections, as they've already
been given the program's stamp of approval, the environmentalist
said. This saves time for companies.
The company's commitment is to keep improving its environmental
performance through continued water use reduction and decreased
amounts of solid waste generated by the process.
A community organization, the McKinley Paper Company has contracts
with many McKinley and Cibola county businesses, which puts
employees and executives in touch with community needs.
Residents can make an appointment for a tour of the facility
by calling 876-2100. Anyone who plans to tour the facility must
participate in safety orientation before entering the plant.
