Temple-Inland Addresses Fish Kill


Austin, Texas, USA 17 August 2011 -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Temple-Inland Inc. (NYSE: TIN) today provided an update on the shutdown of its Bogalusa, Louisiana paper mill following an operational issue at the mill and its wastewater treatment facility that resulted in a fish kill.

Predictive testing for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) indicated that the Bogalusa mill would exceed its maximum daily permit levels for discharge to the Pearl River from the mill's wastewater treatment facility. The company believes that this exceedance may have depleted the oxygen level in part of the river below that necessary to sustain a healthy fish population and resulted in a fish kill.

On Saturday, 13 August 2011, upon receiving the results of predictive testing, Temple-Inland immediately shut down the mill. The company promptly informed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) of the situation and began taking corrective actions to restore the water quality of the River.

"The health of the Pearl River and surrounding communities are our utmost concerns," said Doyle R. Simons, Temple-Inland's chairman and CEO. "Temple-Inland has a strong environmental record and we sincerely regret this incident, which is contrary to our culture of good community stewardship as both an employer and a resident of Bogalusa and the State of Louisiana," he said.

"We never lose sight that we are members and supporters of the Bogalusa area and apologize for the impact this issue at the mill has had on the Pearl River, its aquaculture, and surrounding communities. We are working diligently and expeditiously to remove the fish kill and restore the quality of the River," Simons said.

Temple-Inland Inc. is a manufacturing company focused on corrugated packaging and building products. The fully integrated corrugated packaging operation consists of seven mills and 58 converting facilities. The building products operation manufactures a diverse line of building products for new home construction, commercial, and repair and remodeling markets. Temple-Inland's address on the World Wide Web is www.templeinland.com.