CANTON – Gov. Roy Cooper is chiming in after the closure of the Canton paper mill, the econmic center of the small mountain town for more than a 100 years. In a recent statment [on March 16], Cooper urged the operators of the plant, which announced they will shutdown this summer, to find a way to keep it running, saying closing the facility would have a “devastating effect” on the community and the economy. About 1,100 employees are expected to lose their jobs.
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Cooper also said the state would seek to recover $12 million in state-funded incentives Pactiv-Evergreen received to keep the mill operating if it closed. A letter from the state Attorney General is demanding the company repay the grant funds immediately based on “the company’s clear intent to breach” the agreement.
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Local officials have pledged resources to the workers who are expected to be laid off. Cooper’s state government budget proposal released late last week [March 15] recommended $5 million be set aside to support employee and community needs in Canton. The budget document said any incentives the company pays back would be used to help Canton.
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