1990s
Union workers went on strike in 1990. In 1995, the Nyssa plant was Oregon's second-highest polluter of sulfur dioxide behind the Boardman Coal Plant. A man was crushed by a rail car of coal at the Nyssa plant in January 1997, resulting in an inspection and fine by Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division.
The Snake River Sugar Company, formed in 1994, bought Amalgamated Sugar in 1997 for $250 million. Snake River Sugar Company is an Oregon-based farmer's cooperative. In 1990, Amalgamated Sugar was the second-largest sugar beet refiner in the United States. Snake River borrowed $180 million, including $100 million from Valhi, to complete the transaction.
The company was once run by investor Harold Simmons, who arranged the Snake River Sugar Company co-op and buyout. Simmons ran Amalgamated from before 1984, and through at least 1999. He also ran Valhi. Ralph C. Burton was president of the company in 2005.
Read more about this topic: Amalgamated Sugar Company