The Bangor Daily News from Bangor, Maine • 4

A4 Wednesday July 25 2007 Bangor Datty News Contact us Business Editor Bangor Daily News PO Box 1329 Bangor 04402-1329 bdnbusinessbangordailynewsnet Business wwwbangordailynewscom Domtar Farm bill spurs split in ranks BY JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS mum on return of workers conservation aid for specialty crops like fruits and vegetables and nutrition and rural development programs farm bill policy has really resulted in large subsidies going to a few but very large and quite frankly very Instead endorsed a measure that would keep large subsidies intact for major commodities like rice cotton and corn It would cut aid only for the wealthiest farmers those with annual incomes averaging $1 million or more something Pelosi called critical first step toward The speaker and the powerftd farm interests with whom she is allied are facing a fight however from an unlikely coalition: liberal Democrats and conservative GOP budget hawks They are staging a revolt against the bill and seeking deeper subsidy cuts for a wider swath of farm- BY DIANA GRAETTINGER OF THE NEWS STAFF tragic not just for farm policy but for the party It will be a wedge that we drive out and it will land us in the Farm bills perennial affairs on Capitol Hill are always a matter of regional alliances and crop-specific horse-trading that defy partisan lines or traditional ideological coalitions This measure has ignited a particularly bitter debate highlighting broader conflicts among Democrats that echo the dilemma on the Iraq war There too Pelosi has had to steer a careful course between the swing-district moderates who helped bring her to power and an ardently anti-war base that has pushed for an immediate troop withdrawal and funding cutoff The latter group is her traditional source of support In the case of the farm bill Pelosi pushed for some major See Farm bill Page A 7 could cost $13 billion less has exposed deep rifts among Democrats and inspired bitter feelings among farm-state lawmakers who argue it would devastate agricultural programs and cost the party its newly won majority a lone ranger on this and dividing the caucus and I appreciate said Rep Collin Peterson D-Minn clearly angry at the prospect that a fellow Democrat could upset a painstakingly forged compromise he crafted with substantial input from Pelosi not clear whether Kind who came close to winning adoption of a similar proposal in 2002 with support from Pelosi and Hoyer has the votes to prevail when he offers his amendment this year If he does though said Rep Marion Berry D-Ark who is helping lead the fight against the rival plan destroys the whole farm bill and it will be Rep Ron Kind is lone ranger on this and dividing the caucus and I appreciate REP COLLIN PETERSON D-MINN WASHINGTON A multibil-lion-dollar farm bill has sparked an internal Democratic fight pitting the new crop of farm-state centrists against its traditional urban base Fearful of losing her fragile majority in 2008 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is siding with sub-sidy-seeking moderates including many freshmen from conservative-leaning rural states putting her at odds with environmental activists who want bigger changes Pelosi and other top Democrats including Majority Leader Steriy Hoyer of Maryland once backed an approach that steered money to conservation and nutrition programs and substantially pared back commodity payments They have drastically scaled down those goals in a measure headed to the House floor Thursday ers Under the plan by Reps Ron Kind D-Wis and Jeff Flake R-Ariz anyone earning an average $250000 or more would be barred from collecting farm payments closer to President proposal for an income cap of $200000 It would also steer more money toward wealthy Kind said dismissing the legislation headed for the floor as token reform think that there is a better effort which he said FairPoint details NH plan BAILEYVILLE Washington largest employer Domtar Inc pulp and paper mill has given no indication when the nearly 90 employees who were laid off last month will be back to work State Sen Kevin Raye and Rep Anne Perry met with the Town Council on Monday night to discuss the paper machine shutdown which occurred last month No startup date was announced have been in touch directly with Domtar and I have not received any more information than the town has at this said Raye R-Perry Perry D-Calais said she recently spoke with the staff who is talking with the company are still talking and they have nothing to report at this she said Town Manager Scott Harri-man said he had spoken with Domtar on Monday and it continues to be in a holding pattern This is the third time in the past eight months that the paper machine has been down The mill which dates to 1906 has about 500 workers The cut-size operation which cuts large rolls of paper into 8'i-by-ll-inch sheets also shut down last month Although the paper machine is down the production of pulp the raw material that Domtar ships worldwide for use in the papermaking process will continue Council Chairman Dottie Johnson asked the legislators if Domtar had talked with them about the money the company has spent to remain in compliance with environmental laws Broadband proposal awaits tri-state OK BY PHILIP ELLIOTT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS You can hear just about anything and everything The paper machine is ready to go on AP PHOTO BY DAMIAN DOVARGANES Front-yard vegetable patches such as Nat in Santa Monica Calif can help make food and friends but can rile neighbors When food takes front and center short notice DOMTAR SPOKESMAN SCOTT BEAL Highly visible vegetable gardens grow in appeal where grass once ruled BY ELLEN SIMON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The topic has gotten more buzz nationally as bloggers chronicle their experiences and environmentalists have scrutinized the effects of chemicals and water used to grow lawns A book called Not Lawns" published last year inspired several offshoot groups Fritz Haeg an artist and architect has done yards in Kansas California and New Jer-See Gardens Page A7 While people have been growing food in their backyards forever front-yard vegetable gardens are a growing outlet for people whose backyards are too shady or too small as well as those who want to spread their beliefs one tomato at a time Many hope their gardens will revive the notion of victory gardens which by some estimates provided 40 percent of vegetables during World War Leigh Anders who tore up about half her front lawn four years ago and planted vegetables said her garden sends a message that anyone can grow at least some of their food That task should shift from agribusiness back to individuals and their communities said Anders of Viroqua Wis movement can start with simply one tomato plant growing in she said NEW YORK A dedicated group of vegetable gardeners is ripping out their front lawns and planting dinner Their front-yard kitchen gardens with everything from vegetables to herbs and salad greens are a source of food a topic of conversation with the neighbors and a political statement CONCORD NH FairPoint Communications on Tuesday pledged to invest more than $13 million for rural broadband access in New Hampshire if state panels in three northern New England states approve the purchase of Verizon phone lines If state regulators in New Hampshire Vermont and Maine approve the $27 billion deal FairPoint would provide broadband service to 100000 more homes by January 2010 bulk of those end up being in New North said Walter Leach executive vice president The company would add high-speed Internet service to 19 New Hampshire towns for the first time and then expand lines in 55 underserved towns during the next two years The company plans to offer broadband capability to 80 percent of its New Hampshire customers by early 2010 all part of a $44 million investment pledge for the region Fred Kocher president of New Hampshire High Technology Council said the latest move to boost service is welcome after a number of failed attempts is probably the best proposal seen to expand and enhance broadband in New Hampshire This has been an issue has been around for decades one that has not been he said like to see New Hampshire have as close to 100 percent broadband connectivity as The sale would make Fair-Point the eighth largest telephone company in the United States The deal been without its detractors The unions representing the bulk of Verizon employees have gone to arbitration claiming the plan violates their contract The 3000 workers in the three states fear the $17 billion in debt the Charlotte NC-based FairPoint would assume could hinder promised investments and imperil benefits and pensions Company officials have dismissed the concerns and have promised to add 600 new jobs in the three states FairPoint has promised 250 new jobs in New 1 Hampshire and would keep the existing 1100 existing Verizon employees in the state say afford to do this how can Fair-Point afford to do not the right Leach said could afford to do this Verizon could very well do exactly what doing Verizon is spending its dollars elsewhere Verizon is taking money generated in these three states and putting it Verizon is retaining ownership of its wireless network in the three states Poland Spring wins 1 battle waits on 2nd Damar Dore president of ICS of Maine Inc on Monday shows the Baileyville Town Council one of the structural Insulated panels his company hopes to begin manufacturing Plans call for a building in the industrial park on the corner of Routes 9 and 1 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS they came in and talked to us they said some of their competitors were not held to the same new federal she said She did not elaborate Harriman said the company has spent millions of dollars to retrofit the facility to bring it into compliance while another company in the state has been given extended time on environmental not a level playing field for our folks he said It has been a tough few months for Domtar employees In May the same 90 employees returned to work after being out of work for about a month The cut-size machine was switched back on the day after Memorial Day after having been turned off April 5 And last November the company announced it was cutting back production for two months because of the same market-related conditions Production resumed in January Since the shutdown there have been reports that the paper machine was dismantled and parts shipped to other Domtar facilities but Domtar spokesman Scott Beal said Tuesday that was not true can hear just about anything and he said paper machine is ready to go on short Domtar Corp is the largest integrated producer of uncoated free sheet paper and one of the largest manufacturers of paper grade material pulp in North America The company designs manufactures markets and distributes a wide range of business commercial printing publication and technical and specialty papers under recognized brands The company employs nearly 14000 people with more than 7000 jfi the United States PHOTO COURTESY OF JOYCE SCOTTCALAIS ADVERTISER Baileyville residents eager for plant startup BY DIANA GRAETTINGER OF THE NEWS STAFF PORTLAND The state supreme court on Tuesday upheld a decision by the town of Denmark allowing Poland Spring to pump 105 million gallons of water a year to a proposed facility in nearby Fryeburg But the issue is far from resolved because the Supreme Judicial Court declined Tuesday to rule on the facility in Fryeburg also a subject of litigation Planning Board gave approval for the facility including a pipeline and silo to be built but an appeals panel scrapped the plan A later ruling by a judge kept the project alive and the supreme court on Tuesday declined to intervene That leaves the matter with the Fryeburg Planning Board The Denmark action was brought by a landowner who challenged the decision to grant a permit for Poland Spring for large-scale water withdrawals Stephen Griswold argued that selectmen granted the pumping permit prior to the adoption of monitoring standards that would halt pumping if levels dropped in test wells and nearby bodies of water But the supreme court said selectmen followed local ordinances the Department of Environmental Protection and is going through the public comment period right now Once it gets the necessary permits the company plans to build the 57000-square-foot manufacturing facility on a 7-acre parcel Damar Dore president of ICS of Maine met Monday night with the Town Council armed with the product his company manufactures and sells He said his panel is superior to other products on the market has been designed for ease of installation We can typically do a 6000-square-foot building in four days" he said The insula-See ICS Page A7 BAILEYVILLE Construction on a new facility to manufacture structural insulated panels for use in commercial and residential buildings is moving forward and people in this small town are excited Insulated Component Structures Inc of Eustis Fla plans to open a manufacturing plant in the Industrial Park that would employ 75 people The town has received more than 60 job applications that it handed on to the company The new facility to be called ICS of Maine Inc applied for permits through.