SKOWHEGAN – Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) said the state’s pulp and paper industry continues to be a world leader, despite recent setbacks in Maine.
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Senate President, Maine House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick) and other legislators today began a tour of the state’s paper mills, following recent announcements of mill closures and layoffs in Maine.
The first part of the tour, which is being coordinated by the Maine Pulp and Paper Association, included stops at mills in Madison, Skowhegan and Westbrook.
Senator Rod Whittemore (R-Somerset) who represents the senate district which includes the Madison and Skowhegan mills also joined the tour.
“It was very exciting to see the strength and vibrancy of the pulp and paper industry firsthand,” Thibodeau said. “While the recent news about Maine paper mills has been discouraging, there is no doubt that this industry will be a play a big role in Maine’s e
economic future.
“The main goal of these visits is to hear from company officials about what we in the Legislature can do to make it easier for them to do business in Maine. They identified high energy costs as a problem, which wasn’t a surprise. But they brought up other issues, as well. The information we gather on this tour will be very helpful to us when the Legislature returns in January.”
Lawmakers will visit Baileyville on November 12th. Following the tours, a workshop will take place at the State House where legislators will hear from paper industry experts.
Leaders will then share what they have learned and what they hope to accomplish to help Maine’s paper mills on November 17th at the Maine Pulp and Paper Association’s summit on Maine’s pulp and paper industry.
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