Three companies have expressed interest in reopening a Maine paper plant closed last month.
But the head of the firm set to take control of the plant says he won't open discussions unless offers are on the table, and a federal judge today rejected efforts to halt the sale.
Verso Paper Corp. last fall announced plans to close its plant in Bucksport effective Dec. 1, eliminating more than 500 jobs. AIM Development LLC, a Canadian metal recycler, was set to purchase the facility, but the machinists' union representing the laid-off workers filed a federal antitrust lawsuit to block the sale.
The union alleged Verso and NewPage colluded to close down the Bucksport plant ahead of a planned merger -- allegations Verso and the U.S. Department of Justice have refuted -- and had sought to halt the sale as the case moves through the legal process.
U.S. District Judge John Woodcock, however, rejected that effort in a decision issued today.
Ahead of today's hearing, meanwhile, three companies indicated their interest in acquiring the paper mill and restarting production: Pennsylvania-based Fibre Technologies, New York-based Minimill Technologies and Indian company Kejriwal Singapore International. Woodcock wrote in his order that the federal court could offer mediation to resolve the matter.
But AIM President Herbert Black said he's skeptical about those potential buyers, although he'd be "open to offers if people have money."
"I'm the seller of anything and everything at a price, but if you don't have any money it doesn't really matter what the price is," Black said.
AIM officials had speculated about converting the mill to a recycling facility due to its location near a deep water port, but the company previously demolished a Verso mill it purchased in Minnesota in 2013. Black said today the company intends to sell the plant piecemeal, though he did not go into further detail.
