32 



dioxin and showed that all were below the State's regulatory risk 

 level. I will explain the boxes in a minute. 



The allegation that KPC is the worst polluter of the Northwest, 

 this is not true. The allegation is based on KPC's response to the 

 toxic release inventory, which quantifies discharges in a simplified 

 chemical report. Adversaries have taken data out of context to 

 make this comparison. EPA does not use the report in this way. 



The allegation that there is a dangerous buildup of dioxin in ani- 

 mals in Ward Cove, this is not true. KPC monitors for dioxin as 

 well as metals and many organic compounds. Almost all are at lev- 

 els below action thresholds and sediment standards. Dioxin is 20 

 times below the low risk level. 



The alarm raised by KPC's opponents is unsupported and unwar- 

 ranted. State and Federal regulators are knowledgeable of the most 

 minute details of KPC's operations. Those operations are conformed 

 to 75 permits, emergency response plans and procedures. I have a 

 copy here in the boxes on the table for the committee's review. In 

 addition to these boxes are a dozen studies that are underway, in- 

 cluding pollution preventions, silver mask balance, standard oper- 

 ating procedures and a Ward Cove settlement remediation plan. 

 Further discussion of these materials is in the written testimony 

 which is supplementary to Mr. Lewis' testimony and further sup- 

 port for the rebuttal of the allegations appears in Mr. Allyn Hayes' 

 testimony, which we are submitting today. 



Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Chairman. 



[Statement of Ernesta Ballard may be found at end of hearing.] 



The Chairman. Thank you, Ernesta. Those boxes are what? 



Ms. Ballard. In the boxes are the 75 permits, operating proce- 

 dures, emergency response plans which govern the operations of 

 Ketchikan Pulp and the additional documents describing pollution 

 prevention measures, spill response, spill retainment and Ward 

 Cove remediation. 



The Chairman. And these are all government documents? 



Ms. Ballard. They are already in the public domain. 



The Chairman. Public domain, so that refutes a lot of the accu- 

 sations, a lot of — I call them rhetoric that comes from certain 

 groups I have heard in the last three or four meetings on different 

 legislative packages. These have already been reviewed. They have 

 been submitted by the government and all parties concerned know 

 they exist? 



Ms. Ballard. That is true. 



The Chairman. OK, which reminds me. Let us see, you are five 

 foot tall and weigh about 120 pounds. Those boxes, if you put them 

 all together, are about five foot tall and weigh 520 pounds, you 

 know. I would say this. In all due respects, you are probably more 

 effective than they are with your testimony. I want you to know 

 that, because you did work for EPA. You have been dealing with 

 this project for many years, have you not? 



Ms. Ballard. Some of those documents have my name on them. 



The Chairman. It might be better later — I will probably be call- 

 ing on you after some of the testimony given to maybe respond to 

 some of those comments. 



Ralph, what happens if we don't get the extension through — leg- 

 islate 



