John Williams, president of the Maine Pulp and Paper Association, had a guest column “Pellets are not an alternative to paper” in the Sun Journal (Sept. 14).

After reading it, I fail to see what his point is, other than belittling the fledgling pellet manufacturing industry. Williams goes out of his way to emphasize that the economic impacts of pellet production “could not come close to replacing the critical role that paper manufacturing plays in Maine’s economy, or the jobs it provides.”

He really loses me with that statement.

Who said it could?

He goes on to tout the paper industry’s annual payroll as opposed to that of the three pellet mills on line in Maine, and estimates that the current collective pellet mill payroll is a mere .7 percent of the pulp and paper payroll.

So what? Why this negative putdown of a relatively new Maine industry? The entire tone of his diatribe sounds condescending and elitist.

Williams concludes with, “It makes much more sense for Maine policymakers to encourage investment to keep our papermaking facilities competitive rather than promoting competing alternatives that can never provide the economic benefits of our paper industry.”

It is my understanding that the paper industry already benefits from a number of tax breaks. Maine paper mill jobs have suffered a significant decline in numbers during the last 10 years, but that shouldn’t put Williams in such a defensive mode that he feels the need to trash the pellet manufacturing business.

Clint Cushman, Wilton