Lumbra Hardwoods of Milo, Maine will be closing its doors after nearly 75 years of business – ceasing operations this month in a letter sent to log suppliers.
The April 3, 2026 letter signed by Vice President Stephen M. Lumbra cited high energy costs, insurance costs, and poor market conditions for its production decline leading to the shutdown with last day for deliveries being April 17, 2026.
As another business in Maine falls victim to blue-curtain economics, former Gov. Paul Lepage (R-Maine) took to X and called the closure a “tragedy” for rural Maine. The post also showed LePage voice outrage that the sawmill is being closed due to “skyrocketing electricity prices.”
LePage exclaimed that sawmills are “the backbone of a rural Maine community” before blaming current politicians for catering to state lobbyists that pursue “loft and unrealistic climate goals”.
As the economy continues to deteriorate under sitting Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine), the state recorded the nation’s highest residential energy cost increase between May 2024 and May 2025. Maine’s power rates rose 36.3% in this period, with Central Maine Power (CMP) rates surging 20% in kilowatt-hour measurements.
The closure of Lumbra Hardwoods is the latest look into how Maine’s failing economy paired with rising electricity costs result in business closures amid broader economic stagnation under the Mills administration.
[Related: Maines Economy Didn’t Just Stall, Eight Years Of Mills Era Policy Helped Put It There]
I get two electric bills…..one is for a smallish barn.
Used to be less than $10/month.
I have nothing in it……have not so much as turned on an electric light in it in over a year.
It is now just over $30/month.