Company Town (film)

Company Town is an environmental

Georgia-Pacific employs nearly 1,200 people in Arkansas. In Crossett, Arkansas, 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."^[3]

However, there have been allegations that the Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill is responsible for clusters of

In 2012, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network 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."^[3]

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."^[3][7]

The Ouachita River begins in western Arkansas, upstream from Lake Ouachita, 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".^[3]

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'.^[3] They referenced their permit from the Arkansas Department for Environmental Quality.^[8] However, an employee from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility 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 United States Geological Survey maps seem to support this allegation, showing Coffee Creek originating inside the land that Georgia-Pacific would eventually own.^[3] 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

After a phone call from citizens in Crossett, who believed that the Georgia-Pacific Paper Mill was the source of much of Ouachita River 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

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."[13]

The film opened at the Mill Valley Film Festival. Company Town has received positive responses from critics. It received an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[14]

The Los Angeles Times 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."^[2]