Georgia paper mill closures leave communities reeling, lawmakers searching for solutions

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The sudden closure of several Georgia paper mills has left workers and communities stunned, with state lawmakers scrambling to contain the economic fallout from one of the state’s most important industries.

Georgia-Pacific shut down its Cedar Springs mill earlier this year, cutting more than 500 jobs. Weeks later, International Paper announced it would shutter mills in Savannah and Riceboro, eliminating another 1,100 positions. The Savannah mill, first opened in the 1930s, had provided steady work since the Great Depression.

“These mill closures will undoubtedly deal a devastating blow not only to Georgia’s timber industry but to the economic fabric of the entire southeast Georgia region,” House Speaker Jon Burns, a Newington Republican, said in a stat