ESCANABA, MI— Legislation signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer Tuesday includes money for the Billerud paper mill in Wells and Escanaba Townships.
The $200 million will be used to make improvements at the mill. Billerud is also expected to invest more than $1 billion to upgrade and expand the facility to produce paperboard.
The multi-year project would retain at least 1,200 jobs and pump millions of dollars annually into the local economy. Officials say the mill will serve as the cornerstone of the Swedish papermaker’s expansion into the North American market.
The mill just outside of Escanaba has been making paper since 1911. It is one of the top employers in Delta County, and has an estimated $360 million annual economic impact on the area.
