TOWN OF POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) – A company headquartered in Maine has purchased Potsdam Specialty Paper Inc.

Twin Rivers Paper Company announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the mill, which it described as “a recognized leader in the development and manufacturing of specialty latex, acrylic, and other saturated base papers.”

“This strategic acquisition adds exciting new papermaking capabilities to Twin Rivers’ portfolio,” said Tyler Rajeski, CEO of Twin Rivers. “PSPI’s strong focus on product development and customer collaboration aligns closely with Twin Rivers’ core competencies and builds upon our commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and customer-focused growth.”

“The Potsdam team is energized by the opportunity to join the Twin Rivers Paper team. Twin Rivers boasts a solid portfolio of papermaking assets, which will be complemented by our strengths in Potsdam,” said PSPI CEO Mike Huth. “We’re excited about the ability to build upon our mutual legacy of papermaking excellence, enhance the value we bring to existing Potsdam customers with the expertise and resources of Twin Rivers Paper, and serve new customers.”

Twin Rivers says the acquisition adds 26,000 tons of annual production capacity to its asset base.

“With specialized on-machine capabilities including latex saturating, nonwoven/synthetic fiber handling and wet creping, extensive color capabilities, and an advanced off-machine coater, the Potsdam, New York, mill produces highly engineered papers for a wide range of market sectors. Applications include tape base, abrasive backer, durable label, medical (sterilization), wallpaper base, wide format digital substrates, durable book cover and high-end retail packaging,” the company said.

Twin Rivers also owns two other paper mills in New York, including one in Lyons Falls and another in Little Falls.

Erin Evans is a Portland-based master beekeeper and small business owner, She previously served as director of finance and administration at Maine Audubon and as CFO/COO of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Honey bees are Maine’s official state insect and a keystone species in our ecosystem. Like tiny flying dustmops, they sample their surroundings, collecting pollen, nectar and contaminants that reveal what’s in our soil, our water and our air.

As a local beekeeper measuring PFAS in my own hives, I stand with the Maine farmers,
families and advocates on the front lines of this issue, and it’s why I support Dr. Nirav Shah as our next governor.

The Rutgers-New Brunswick Eagleton Institute of Politics recently shared a 2025 database on scientists, engineers and healthcare professionals leading our nation in state legislatures. Out of more than 7,000 lawmakers, there are just over 200 legislators who are also scientists, engineers or healthcare professionals.

While Maine was among the highest representation, with 11 members, I can’t help but wonder how different our response will be to present and emerging environmental crises if we have someone trained in both law and scientific thinking as our next governor.

As a public health leader, who’s already guided us through a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, Dr. Shah understands that PFAS isn’t just “out there.” It’s in our soil, food, water and in our bodies and will have a public health impact for generations. Best of all, he’s already been doing the work.

During his time as director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Shah recognized how widespread PFAS contamination is in Maine’s soil and water. Now, at a time when science-informed leadership is more essential than ever, he’s made PFAS protection a top priority.

Maine has made real strides in addressing forever chemicals by becoming the first state to launch an emergency relief fund, ban sludge-based fertilizers loaded with PFAS and create a permanent PFAS response program. We’ve also tested hundreds of sites, identified 34 high-priority towns and awarded $3.5 million in grants for research.

But even with this progress, the real challenge is how Maine deals with problems that last longer than any one administration.

It’s time we see PFAS and other environmental contamination crises not as political hot potatoes but as persistent issues affecting ecosystems across all of Maine. Do we continue to follow the status quo where politically entrenched candidates, beholden to the legacies of prior leaders and corporate interests, dictate the response? Or do we choose science and a leader familiar with critical outside-the-box thinking? Who should sit at that table as we create policies and laws to study, analyze, manage and reduce the threat of harmful chemicals to Mainers and the environment we all love?

In her recently released book “Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals,” journalist F. Marina Schauffler reminds us that Maine’s taxpayers have already paid hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to PFAS contamination, and we’re nowhere near done.

PFAS chemicals will stay around for a long time, and so will the government systems that we set up to respond to these crises. Dr. Shah’s background in law and public health, especially in responding to exposure risks, makes him the leader we need in the Blaine House.

Most of all, he knows that in Maine and across the nation, climate change, water safety, soil health and human health are all interconnected, and part of the same sets of challenges. Our solutions will need to be well planned and well coordinated. Just ask the bees.

WATERVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, traveled to Waterville Monday to tour the Mid-Maine Technical Center.

At MMTC, high school students from four districts get hands-on experience in job-focused classrooms across 15 different programs.

Collins toured several of those programs, including nursing, media, and culinary arts.

She highlighted the more than seven hundred thousand dollars she secured in federal funding in 2024 for machine tooling and 3D printing equipment.

Also adding the importance of schools like this to not only fill critical workforce gaps, but do so right here in the state.

“Programs like this help encourage students to stay in the state of Maine once they’ve finished their education,” answered Collins. “It gives them a real boost if they’re going on to higher education, but it also equips them with the skills that they need if they’re going directly into the workforce.”

Collins also mentioned cooperative agreements in some programs that allow students to start earning college credit. Many students she spoke with also spend part of the week working for local businesses in their field.