AUGUSTA – Washington County’s Republican state representatives said they are gratified and delighted by the decision to resume operations at the Domtar pulp mill on June 22nd, saying the reopening will bring economic benefits to the county beyond the 200 to 300 mill jobs that will be restored.

“This welcome news not only rescues the jobs at the mill but also adds to the trucking and shipping business mostly through the port of Eastport,” said Rep. Harold McFadden (R-Dennysville). “The reopening of Domtar is a tremendous shot in the arm to help lower the double-digit unemployment rate in the Washington County area.

“I’m optimistic that the reopening will be for the long term and will enhance the economy in the most economically depressed part of the state,” he added. “Both our legislative delegation and our federal delegation need to keep the Domtar mill on the front burner.”

Rep. Dianne Tilton (R-Harrington) said the economic impact of a restarted Domtar “literally affects workers all over Washington County.” She said the Domtar “scare” demonstrates the vulnerability of the county’s economy. “We need to remain committed to long-term investments in infrastructure that will make our economy more diverse,” she said. “We will remain vulnerable until we are able to create more opportunities in Washington County for Domtar, and hopefully other new industries, to succeed.”

Rep. Dave Burns, a first-term legislator from Whiting, has been deeply involved with the Domtar situation. “In meetings with management, the governor’s staff and our congressional delegation, we turned over every stone to get the mill back up and going,” he said. He credited County Commissioner Chris Gardner and Harold Clossey, executive director of the Sunrise County Economic Council, for the level of cooperation and determination they demonstrated to keep jobs in Washington County stable during the Domtar shutdown. “All of this provides incentives for industry to survive and stay with us,” he said. “Domtar has a great workforce and an energy advantage in the county; and with an improved market and support from all of us, it can continue to exist in our community.”

The Domtar reopening throws a lifeline to Washington County families and will encourage other efforts to bring economic development and jobs to the area, according to Rep. Burns. “The Domtar restart also supports between 35 and 100 jobs around the greater Eastport area and will help truckers, woods workers and related industries,” he noted.

“We must, however, continue our efforts to bring along other industrial activity, including offshore wind power, tidal power and LNG,” Rep Burns added. “All these initiatives have great potential for Washington County families and the State of Maine. We are on the cutting edge of these endeavors. Our higher education institutions also are positioned to train the necessary workforce to support these industries. Our port in Eastport puts us in a unique position to support these opportunities and, with some minimum investment, will further position us to be able to handle all types of cargo. We look toward a bright future for our area.”

Rep. Everett McLeod (R-Lee) also picked up on the theme that Washington County needs to diversify. His list of possible industries includes building wind turbine blades that could be shipped around the world through the port of Eastport. “We have the resources here in Washington County to do just that,” he said. “Let’s get the ball rolling.”

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