Another shout-out goes to Gov. Paul LePage who, on Monday, greeted paper workers returning to work in East Millinocket.
About 250 workers have resumed making paper at Great Northern Paper Co.’s mill there.
The governor and his administration brokered the sale of the mill to Cate Street Capital of Portsmouth, N.H.
“This was a very long and complicated process but everyone involved was focused on putting Mainers back to work,” the governor told about 50 workers on the loading dock at the plant.
The deal was complicated by a controversial state takeover of an old Great Northern landfill. Potential owners were unwilling to buy the mill and assume the potential liability the landfill represented.
The state takeover is a gamble, but a gamble worth taking for a town hard-hit by the collapse of papermaking there.
The former owner was preparing to sell the plant’s equipment when the state stepped in.
The mill’s reopening shows the governor’s commitment in retaining jobs in rural Maine.
The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.
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