Such ambiguity always plays into the hands of those that would not really like to see things change very much. Such is the case with the Baikalsk mill. However, if one takes the interpretation of the "Environmental Programme for Irkutsk Oblast" (Irkutsk 1991) then it is quite clear that it called for a radical change in the kind of production at the mill. I quote:

"In fact we are talking about the closure of two enterprises: the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill and the Angarsk Protein Plant. In the first case, it is necessary to solve the problem of employment of those working at the mill. It is should be kept in mind that only about 500 people are directly connected with the production of pulp, the remainder are workers of a general character. Reprofiling that seems impremissible is of such a nature that it would retain any kind of boiling of pulp and anything connected with paper production. Radical reprofiling is advisable when one kind of occupation is replaced by several, but ones that are strictly environmentally safe, and ones that are partly or fully unrelated to and not funded by the Ministry of Timber."

The mill's management came to yet another interpretation. They invited experts from UNIDO (The United Nation's Industrial Development Organization) and asked them to give their assesment of the mill's future. "In their report to the government of Russia, the experts came to the conclusion that, at the present time, there is no alternative to bleached pulp production... and that at present the best way to protect the lake is to reconstruct and modernize the mill giving consideration to the latest achievements of Russian and foreign science technology, international experience of chlorine-free pulp with a closed loop water system and harmless gas emissions." ("Federal Program for Reprofiling...") Just like in a fairy tale! According to this project pulp boiling should end by 2010.

The latest project (The third variant, 1997), which has been prepared by a working group under the leadership of Valentin Koptiug, proposes to change to the production of paper and "bleached chemi-thermomechanical mass" (BCTMM) (or pulp). But why has Valentin Koptiug changed his opinion as to the inadmissability "of even an ideal, state of the art enterprise" on Baikal?

I also cannot understand Mikhail Grachev's efforts to have the BCTMM technology implemented at the Baikalsk mill. If he put as much energy into searching for other forms of enterprise, it would help solve the serious environmental problems that are caused by and will be caused by the mill throughout its entire extistence. Surely he is not basing his views, like Academician Zhavaronkov "on an idealistic view of industry?"

With those 500 million dollars required to implement this latest technology, it would be possible to improve the technology used at other pulp mills where both people and the environment are suffering from this harmful industry. It would be cheaper to build a new mill, but not at Baikal.

All the arguments have been made. In the end, if one only looks at the question from the point of view of use of natural resources, it comes down to what Academician Laskorin said:

"There is very little water on the planet earth that we are able to use for cooking, drinking, and other domestic and industrial purposes- only 0.1% of all water resources. If mankind conserves the quality of water, it will conserve its own life. This should be the basis of the decision making process concerning Baikal."

Public protest has not yet stopped the deadly advance on the sacred lake by the planners, bureaucrats, pulp industrialists and those in favor of state-of-the-art pulp and paper technology. The protest, which has been going on for 37 years has only made them take some precautionary measures like waste water treatment facilities. Those that came before did not listen to the warnings, now their followers are seeking "an acceptable" form of chemical industry in order to save their brainchild from the "advance" of environmentalists. They claim that the damage to the lake would be very small- "there will be practically no waste water entering Baikal, and if some do, it will be less than one tenth of the amount that is discharged today." (The newspaper "Nomer Odin, from a meeting with the Chairman of the State Committee for the Environment of Irkutsk Oblast, Y.N.Udodov). This is only if our pulp specialists are able to realize in practice the "closed loop" water system, which, judging by world experience in the pulp and paper industry, is not always possible. Yes, in reality "we are being forced once again into accepting a false option of reprofiling the Baikalsk Pulp Mill." (the words of Y.N.Udodov at the same meeting.)