Congressman Hodes Announces Trip to the North Country

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        CONTACT:

March 5, 2008                                        Mark Bergman

                                                     (O) 202-226-2165

Congressman Hodes Announces Trip to the North Country

Plans visits to Gorham, Groveton, Berlin, and Littleton

Washington, DC---Congressman Paul Hodes today announced that he would travel to the Town of Gorham this Friday to visit the Fraser Paper Mill and meet with workers and company executives. Congressman Hodes will also visit Groveton, Berlin and Littleton in his trip to the North Country.

In February, Fraser Papers announced that it will cut 167 jobs at their facility in Gorham.  The news broke just months after the Wausau Paper mill closed its doors in Groveton and left 303 workers without jobs, and nearly two years after Fraser Papers shut down its Berlin site, which resulted in the loss of 250 jobs in the region.

“I look forward to visiting the Fraser Paper Mill later this week to meet with families, community leaders, and local government officials affected by this closing. It is difficult to describe how devastating these proposed layoffs are to the community, the families, and the already fragile economy in the region. I will keep up the fight for these families and this community.”

Last week, Congressman Hodes wrote to the Secretary of the Interior seeking historic preservation assistance for the Fraser Paper Mill, the last paper mill in Coos County, as well as the Town of Gorham’s historic town hall. Tourism is a major piece of Gorham’s economy as it draws visitors from around the world.

Congressman Hodes also wrote letters to the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Energy seeking federal assistance for the workers in Gorham.