I question the thought processes of Rep. Elaine Makas of Lewiston in submitting a bill that would undo all the hard work of the 121st Legislature, the DEP scientists and stakeholders. They have been working tirelessly to reduce river emissions and protect 10,000 jobs along the Androscoggin River.

I attended both the Department of Environmental Protection public meetings and would like to set the record straight.

The DEP stated that even if all three paper mills were closed, Gulf Island Pond still would not meet dissolved oxygen standards. Breaching the dam would solve all issues with dissolved oxygen and algae blooms, yet no one is even considering that. Why?

If Rep. Makas were sincerely a steward of the river, perhaps she should start in her own back yard. The Lewiston waste treatment plant is currently listed in significant non-compliance. Hundreds of millions of gallons of untreated human waste are being spewed in the river. This is the type of pollution that does the most damage to the river ecosystem.

I would ask her to not misinterpret the facts. Everybody wants a clean river. Paper mills are spending millions of dollars to reduce emissions every year.

Good-paying manufacturing jobs are the backbone of a strong economy. The state has already lost thousands of jobs to overseas markets. We need to preserve the ones that we still have. It makes no sense to work to terminate these jobs so that minimum-wage service jobs can replace them.

Dean Gilbert,

Rumford Pulp and Paperwork

Resource Council, Rumford