WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today applauded an announcement from Verso Paper that it plans to create 120 new full-time jobs at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay. The company will restart its No. 3 paper machine and upgrade the pulp line to enable the manufacturing of packaging products.

            “This is welcome news for the hardworking men and women at Verso Paper and for communities in central and western Maine,” Senators Collins and King said. “By investing in upgrades to the Androscoggin Mill, Verso is investing in Maine people and our rural economy.”

The plans, which are estimated to cost $17 million, were funded in part by the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). MTI provided $4 million in funding through its Maine Technology Asset Fund 2.0 challenge grant.

The announcement builds on the strategies outlined by the Economic Development Assessment Team – originally requested in March 2016 by Senators Collins and King – which brought together local, state, federal, and industry partners to work together to build a bottom-up strategy to foster innovation and commercialization for the future of Maine’s forest-based economy.