The Androscoggin River is the only major Class C river in Maine, as the Sun Journal reported in its articles, “Cross Currents” (July 3-4). This polluted condition is not acceptable.

When Ed Muskie was a boy growing up in Rumford, he read on the banks of the Androscoggin and vowed one day to clean up the river if he could. He was able to engineer the first environmental regulations in the nation, as well as in the world, when he was a U.S. senator.

But, today, the beautiful Edmund S. Muskie Memorial in Rumford stands on the banks of the worst polluted major river in the state. This river has not been cleaned up despite state and federal regulations because out-of-state paper mill corporations have successfully opposed that cleanup. The reality is they seem to own the river.

The cost of environmental cleanup has been cited as a threat to jobs by paper corporations. However, other reasons should be considered, such as poor financial planning and lack of technical improvements that are necessary to compete with overseas corporations.

We should not ignore the national news pointing out that U.S. corporate officers need to be asked tough questions about their operations. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on the integrity of the corporations’ officials.

I thank the Sun Journal for “Cross Currents.” After reading the articles, I contacted my Maine legislators about cleaning up the polluted Androscoggin River. It is time to get serious.

Tom Fallon, Rumford

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