It has been interesting to watch the machinations in Bucksport, Maine, as Verso first sold this mill to AIM for dismantling, and now, as lawyers are going after the US Justice Department for doing an allegedly bad job of anti-trust analysis.

There are still many old mills that need to be taken out of their misery.  Some of them are operated by companies you follow.

It is so hard to kill a mill. There is too much nostalgia wrapped up in some of these old sites.

It doesn't help matters when an owner sells a mill intact.  It just leaves it vulnerable to re-opening.  And there are plenty of "carpetbaggers" who come along and promise to restore former glory.  Yet, this seldom works out.  Look a short distance up the Penobscot River to Millinocket, Maine, for an example of this.

These old mills are a drag on the whole industry. They are restarted by selling product at bargain basement prices in an effort to build cash flow.  Due to their own shaky finances, they overpay for raw materials and operating supplies.  They are a detriment to sound financial health for the whole industry, in the ways they swing markets for raw materials as well as sales prices.

If you are an analyst, you could do the industry a favor by graciously praising any company that shuts down one of these dinosaurs and puts a stake in its heart as they lock the gates.