The president of Nippon Dynawave in Longview has announced his retirement, nearly half a year after the May 26th chemical tank failure at the mill killed 11 workers.

The Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers put out a release on Matt Peerboom’s retirement yesterday, saying he played an important role in efforts to move the mill toward a full restart following the incident.

Union spokesperson Josh Estes says the union recognizes Peerboom’s engagement during an extraordinarily difficult period and will continue working with his successor, Yusuke Mano, and company leadership.

The union says worker safety must remain central to the restart and that employees should have a meaningful role in decisions as the mill works toward resuming operations.