The Governor says the state is committed to keeping the paper industry alive in Wisconsin.
Three paper mills in the Badger State have already closed or announced plans to shut down this year. Governor Jim Doyle says the industry is an important one to Wisconsin, but there's little the state can do to address the main problems facing mills right now. Rising pulp prices and international markets have received most of the blame for making paper production unprofitable in the U.S.
Doyle says the state is exploring ways to help the mills. One suggestion he's making for the industry is to learn from the example of Wisconsin corn growers. He says a way to turn the waste from a paper mill into energy could be a major step forward. Work being done in Wisconsin is focused on making that happen.
Mill closures this year will cost the state nearly 15-hundred jobs. Despite that, Doyle says the industry remains strong with many mills at least holding steady in tough economic times. The Governor says Wisconsin remains the number one paper making state in the nation.