Maine Voices: EPA proposal would stymie operation of ‘green,’ profitable mill
Reclassifying biomass boilers as incinerators will force Maine’s Somerset Mill to revert to fossil fuels.
By: MARK GARDNER
Special to The Portland Press-Herald
BOSTON — As a manufacturer of coated fine papers used for magazines, annual reports and more, Sappi Fine Paper North America believes that operating as an economically and environmentally sustainable company is not an “either-or” proposition. And our policies and practices reflect just that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Gardner is president and CEO of Sappi Fine Paper North America.
Our Somerset Mill in Skowhegan is a world-class paper manufacturing facility that employs 830 people. In order to remain globally competitive, operating sustainably is an imperative at Sappi. We must minimize our impact on the environment while maximizing the positive contributions we bring to the economy – two benefits that can go hand in hand.
As an industry leader in sustainability, Sappi is fully committed to protecting the environment. Over the years, we have implemented a number of initiatives to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, increase our energy efficiency and stabilize our costs.
As part of that commitment, our Somerset Mill recently became a certified Green-e Energy organization with the Center for Resource Solutions.
Under that program, 100 percent of the electricity used to manufacture select coated fine-paper products at the Somerset Mill is made with certified renewable energy that is generated on-site. The energy is created from the burning of wood biomass, a carbon-neutral renewable fuel source.
