Rice Interviewed for Press Herald Article on Effects of Paper Mill Merger

The Portland Press Herald spoke with Robert Rice, a professor of wood science and technology at the University of Maine, for an article about the potential effects of Verso Paper Corp. acquiring NewPage Holdings Inc. The merger will create a company that will employ about a third of all paper industry workers in Maine. Rice said the deal is good for Verso because by buying a direct competitor, the company will be able to monitor and control its production more precisely. He also said he doesn’t expect the consolidation to affect the price of paper.