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wealth from the beginning has been to alleviate serious pollution and worker safety problems in and around the Avtex plant. There is overwhelming evidence that the company has been unable or unwilling to meet its legal responsibilities in this area.”
Struggling under increased fines and clean-up cost, the company’s decision to shrink production is the second in five month. Avtex announced in June its plans to reduce production. The company’s “restructuring" plan closed five of the eight rayon staple lines and resulted in the loss of jobs for nearly 500 employees.
The initial reduction was caused by “the imposition of environmental requirements by authorities of the Commonwealth of Virginia far in excess of those anticipated by the company, in combination with unanticipated business and community pressures,” said Avtex spokesman Nick Nickols in June.
U.S. Sen. John Warner (R-Va), who was influencial in a $40 million bail out project last November when the company shut down for financial reasons, expressed his regret for the Avtex employees who lost their jobs.
In addition, Warner called for a Senate subcommittee to review federal environmental laws to determine if they are adequate. Warner said he also plans to meet with members of the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and' the Department of Defense to discuss “environmental compliance by defense and space contractors."
A Tennessee company is in the process of receiving certification by the federal government for the production of the carbonized rayon yarn used in rocket nozzles, but final approval by the agencies involved is not expected until 1991. Until then. Avtex remains the government's sole supplier of the yarn.
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