LePage mentions UMaine in talk about state’s biomass potential, Press Herald reports

Gov. Paul LePage mentioned the University of Maine during remarks he made to open the third day of the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference in San Francisco, the Portland Press Herald reported. LePage pitched Maine as the perfect place for bioenergy executives to make investments. Maine has more than 17 million acres of forestland, and its economy has been hampered by the closure of five paper mills in three years. Since the closures, several initiatives have sprung up, including proposals to build bioenergy parks that can revive unused biomass power plants and support new, connected businesses, according to the article. During his talk, LePage noted that UMaine received $3.3 million from the Defense Logistics Agency to help its research in converting wood fiber into jet fuel, the article states.