On Dec. 14, the Sun Journal published a letter from Mr. Volkernick stating that the paper mills have done enough to clean up the Androscoggin.

This is not true. Although our river has come a long way, it is still the dirtiest major river in Maine. According to Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, there has been no improvement in dissolved oxygen in the river since 1992. Dissolved oxygen is a key measure of how clean a river is. The creatures that live in the river need dissolved oxygen to breathe, just as we need oxygen in the air. Also, our river still smells like a paper mill, and it has massive algae blooms that turn the water green and make it unfit for swimming.

According to DEP, the mills are the largest sources of the pollution that causes these problems. They dwarf the pollution from town sewage treatment plants and from runoff when it rains.

None of this mill pollution is necessary. DEP hired a world-renowned paper industry expert to see what it would take to reduce pollution. He found that the mills could use technologies that would make them more efficient and competitive, technologies that would also clean up the river. He noted that many profitable paper mills in the United States and Europe already use these technologies.

We need the Androscoggin mills to make similar investments. These investments will be good for our environment, they will improve mill competitiveness, and they will help keep jobs in Maine.

Rep. Elaine Makas, Lewiston,

District 71

Copy the Story Link