Wood Products Companies Take on Global Warming

PORTLAND, Ore., April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- With the Lieberman-Warner America's Climate Security Act (ACSA) and other greenhouse gas reduction legislation looming, companies in the wood products industry are taking a visionary approach to reduce their carbon footprint.

"Companies are paying closer attention than ever before to greenhouse gas emissions and energy use," says Robert Grott, Executive Director of the Northwest Environmental Business Council (http://www.nebc.org). "There are two reasons: one is the steady increase in energy prices, the other is a desire to manage their carbon footprint. This is now a voluntary process in the U.S., but as greenhouse gas regulation is introduced, life-cycle carbon output will be an increasingly important decision factor, and low-energy/low-carbon solutions will have an edge in the market."

Norbord of Montreal, Canada TSE: NBD, an international producer of wood-based panel products, signed agreements with BioReaction Industries (BRI) to build Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) compliant press control bio-oxidation systems for Norbord's Guntown, MS and Bemidji, MN operations. BioReaction systems use microbes to digest industrial pollutants, rather than burning them off with natural gas -- a process that releases nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gasses.

"Bio-Reaction's system reduces air pollutant emissions by more than is required by the MACT regulations and puts Norbord in a good position for future greenhouse gas legislation," says David Harvey, former VP of Environmental Affairs for Louisiana Pacific. "Plus, these systems help Norbord mitigate risk as energy costs rise."

"The wood products, chemical manufacturing and other industries see the importance of acquiring pollution abatement equipment that reduces greenhouse gases and energy costs," says Karl Mundorff, President and CEO of BioReaction Industries. "As markets feel the pressure of global competition, it's easy to see the value of systems that impact an organization's bottom line."