For more than a century, Covington, Virginia has had one dominating feature: its paper mill . Smokestacks tower over the community of 5,500, many of whom work there. But according to a new report, the mill spews more nitrogen oxide, methane , and greenhouse gases than is generally known.

“The snow is not white here. It’s ash, it’s nasty, and it’s all over the place all of the time,” Robin Brown, a 65-year-old resident who lives near the mill, told the researchers. “And there’s that funky odor, like rotten eggs. It’s all you can smell.”

The Covington mill is among the industry’s worst polluters, according to a report the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project, or EIP, released today. It detailed similar issues at 185 such facilities nationwide. And, because of Environmental Pr

See Full Page