Georgia-Pacific's Old Town mill in Maine to shut down

<p>Georgia-Pacific Corp. announced Thursday it is shutting down its Old Town pulp and paper mill that employs 400 people, delivering a blow to Maine's paper industry and sending the governor scrambling to find a buyer.</p><p>Georgia-Pacific said the mill would begin shutting down over the next few days but that it would maintain the facility for 60 days while the state seeks a buyer.</p><p>Gov. John Baldacci didn't retreat from the deadline, saying there were interested buyers, and that several of them would tour the facility next week.</p><p>The company pledged that workers would receive regular pay and benefits over the next 60 days, regardless of whether they leave their jobs sooner than that, said Ted Sapoznik, Georgia-Pacific's vice president of consumer products manufacturing.</p><p>Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific announced in October it was cutting 850 jobs in North America as part of a global restructuring aimed at saving $100 million a year.</p><p>In November, Kansas-based conglomerate Koch Industries Inc. agreed to pay $12.6 billion for Georgia-Pacific. The deal was completed in December.</p><p>The plant closing marks the latest difficulty for Maine's paper industry, which today employs about 10,000 workers _ roughly half of the level 10 years ago.</p>