WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced a $1 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to the Androscoggin Valley Regional Refuse Disposal District of Berlin, N.H., to build a gas pipeline from the Mt. Carberry landfill to the Gorham Paper Mill. The project is expected to generate $1 million in private investment, according to grantee estimates.

“The Commerce Department and the Economic Development Administration are committed to job growth and business development, and this grant will fund vital infrastructure needed in New Hampshire’s North Country,” Locke said. “This EDA investment will help save and create jobs by providing the critical infrastructure needed to keep the Gorham Paper Mill operational.”

This project will enable the Gorham Paper Mill, the region’s largest industrial employer and last operating paper mill in New Hampshire, to shift to burning a more efficient, significantly less expensive combination of landfill-methane and natural gas in its boilers.