Rehberg offers to help find new business for Frenchtown mill site
by John Q. Murray
U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Montana) has offered to go to bat for Frenchtown to make sure the Smurfit-Stone site will become home to another mill or business.
Rehberg made the offer in a letter Wednesday to Dick King of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation.
King told the Chronicle Wednesday that the judge who presided over the recently-completed bankruptcy proceedings expressed interest in seeing the site put back to work.
"The court remains interested in how well the company works with the community and state to find a buyer for the Frenchtown facility," he said. "So far, the company has been cooperative and we are in communication with them regarding the status of potential buyers."
Rehberg wrote the letter to Dick King shortly after his visits to Mineral County and Missoula County.
The proper disposition of Smurfit-Stone’s Frenchtown facility "is critical to the local economy and the entire state. As a result, I believe it’s important that the plant remain open as a paper mill or is converted to an appropriate alternative use," Rehberg wrote.
The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research estimated that 1,700 jobs worth more than $40 million annually were lost when the mill closed Dec. 31, 2009. Smurfit-Stone used about 80 percent of Montana's 2.5 million tons of residual wood fiber.
"Not only has a key link in the wood products chain been broken, but transportation costs have increased with longer haul distances," Rehberg said. "With each mill closure, Montana loses more and more professionally trained wood workers and log haulers."
Frenchtown "has a great facility that’s sitting idle and in need of a new mission,” Rehberg said. “I want to ensure this facility is used in a way that best helps Montana’s loggers, drivers and millworkers. This is about getting Montanans back to work as quickly as possible.”
Rehberg concluded the letter to King by urging, "don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance."
Smurfit-Stone emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2010.
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U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Montana) has offered to go to bat for Frenchtown to make sure the Smurfit-Stone site will become home to another mill or business.
Rehberg made the offer in a letter Wednesday to Dick King of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation.
King told the Chronicle Wednesday that the judge who presided over the recently-completed bankruptcy proceedings expressed interest in seeing the site put back to work.
"The court remains interested in how well the company works with the community and state to find a buyer for the Frenchtown facility," he said. "So far, the company has been cooperative and we are in communication with them regarding the status of potential buyers."
Rehberg wrote the letter to Dick King shortly after his visits to Mineral County and Missoula County.
The proper disposition of Smurfit-Stone’s Frenchtown facility "is critical to the local economy and the entire state. As a result, I believe it’s important that the plant remain open as a paper mill or is converted to an appropriate alternative use," Rehberg wrote.
The University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research estimated that 1,700 jobs worth more than $40 million annually were lost when the mill closed Dec. 31, 2009. Smurfit-Stone used about 80 percent of Montana's 2.5 million tons of residual wood fiber.
"Not only has a key link in the wood products chain been broken, but transportation costs have increased with longer haul distances," Rehberg said. "With each mill closure, Montana loses more and more professionally trained wood workers and log haulers."
Frenchtown "has a great facility that’s sitting idle and in need of a new mission,” Rehberg said. “I want to ensure this facility is used in a way that best helps Montana’s loggers, drivers and millworkers. This is about getting Montanans back to work as quickly as possible.”
Rehberg concluded the letter to King by urging, "don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance."
Smurfit-Stone emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1, 2010.
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