Starting a pulp mill

This letter is in response to an article about the amount of money Lincoln Pulp and Paper Co. owes Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. (BDN, Aug. 21). I am not trying to minimize the figure or say Bangor Hydro should not be paid in full. However, your readers should be aware that in the last couple of months, Lincoln Pulp and Paper has sustained two power failures on the Bangor Hydro line which caused the whole mill to be shut down.

Starting a pulp mill, as well as the paper machines, is not as easy as one might think. Starting the boilers for steam to run the mill and getting the pulp mill and paper machines up and running, in order to make a quality product, could take many hours and even days to accomplish. If one factors in the lost revenue from these two shutdowns, I estimate that the lost revenue and the amount owed Bangor Hydro are about the same.

I suggest that when this paper writes an article, it should look at the whole picture and not just paint a picture of doom and gloom in order to sell papers.

H. Neil Murray

Enfield