Congressional Delegation Updates

Good News at LP Houlton for Maine’s Forest Products Industry

Recently, Louisiana Pacific Corp. made a major announcement that is great news for Mainers in the forest products industry. The company recently shared its plan to invest $150 million in its LP Houlton mill located in New Limerick, which will help secure the mill’s future.

This upgrade will enable LP Houlton to manufacture SmartSide, an advanced engineered wood siding used on the outside of homes. This new production line will strengthen Maine’s position as a leader in engineered wood products.

In January, I met with LP Chairman and CEO Brad Southern and other company officials to encourage the selection of the Houlton mill. We discussed how the LP Houlton mill is well suited for this expansion due to the substantial supply of aspen, the wood used for SmartSide. A motivating factor behind this decision was the

Advancing Maine’s Rural Economy Through Biobased Manufacturing

For generations, Maine’s forest products industry has demonstrated resiliency in face of massive challenges and continues to thrive today thanks to our state’s abundant natural resources, driven workforce, and commitment to innovation. As the industry continues to look for opportunities to strengthen and expand its operations and support for good jobs in rural Maine, I’m committed to standing with you 100%.

One potential growth area lies in using every part of our resources effectively – as I often say, we want to use every part of the pig but the squeal. New technological advancements have made that possible, as the production of biofuels and the rise of biobased products create new potential applications for low-grade wood. With demand for low-grade wood on the decline in recent years, these enterprising sectors in Maine could see this as an opportunity to evolve and create hundreds of jobs in the state – both new jobs at sites of new biobased manufacturing, and new opportunities for the industry’s loggers and truckers. In addition, these new sectors would inject new money into rural Maine, and help address the threats of climate change on our working forests.

The benefits are clear – but unfortunately, a bureaucratic definition is standing in the way. Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency’s interpretation of the federal “Renewable Fuel Standard” does not include significant portions of Maine’s naturally regenerated forests, putting our forest products industry at top-notch workforce at LP Houlton, known for its skill, dedication, and work ethic. I am glad this project will help to secure the existing jobs. This project will also increase the wood supply needed at LP Houlton by 30 percent and substantially increasing shipping volumes, benefitting our logging and transportation industries. a disadvantage. Maine’s timetested forest management practices have helped establish sustainable, naturally regenerative working forests, and limited the use of tree plantations – which are today classified as eligible feedstocks by the EPA. Like many of you, I strongly believe Maine’s forest feedstocks should qualify and receive equal treatment under current EPA regulations. Making sure Maine’s forest industry competes on a level playing field will open the door to key investments in this important sector of the future, and make sure our state isn’t penalized for its longstanding efforts to support healthy working forests.

In addition to a changing 21st century economy, unfair trade practices, and the explosion at the Jay mill, the pandemic made 2020 a difficult year for our forest products industry. That is why I worked to secure $200 million in the COVID-19 emergency relief package late last year to provide critical financial assistance to the loggers and log haulers and continue to push the Administration to disburse this vital support.

Throughout Maine’s history, our forest products industry has supported good-paying jobs, driven local economies, strengthened rural communities, and protected our natural environment. The investment by LP shows that the future of the forest products industry is bright. I am delighted by this announcement and will continue to stand by an industry and the workers that define our State.

As we enter into a new Administration – with new leadership at the EPA – ensuring Maine’s forest feedstocks qualify under this rule is one of my top priorities. Demand for biobased products will continue to rise in the years ahead, and Maine is poised to play a leading role in the advancement of this new technology. We have the resources, we have the workforce – we just need to ensure rules from Washington don’t inhibit Maine’s continued leadership in the forest products industry. Opening this door is vital to the future of this industry, and I’m ready to work with all of you as we push to realize new investments in forest products manufacturing, supporting the long-term health of both this industry and Maine’s economy.

The U.S. Constitution specifies that “Congress and in particular, the House of Representatives is invested with the 'power of the purse,' the ability to tax and spend public money for the national government.” This responsibility falls to the House Appropriations Committee, which I’ve been a member of since 2013.

I’m proud to announce that in January, I was elected to serve as the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

The Subcommittee I now lead has jurisdiction over the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and some related agencies, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service. As the most forested state in the country, this new role allows me the chance to prioritize policies and funding opportunities that support the needs of Maine’s forest products industry.

In addition to maintaining 193 million acres of public forests and grasslands, including the small part of the White Mountain National Forest that crosses into Oxford County, the U.S. Forest Service also works closely with states, private forest owners, and researchers to promote forest health, stewardship, and innovation in the forest products sector. Last year, U.S. Forest Service programs

Since December, I’ve taken two big steps to work for Maine loggers, who are still facing down more than a year of mill closures, accidents, layoffs and industry-wide changes in part because of COVID-19.

Part of my work addresses what loggers need immediately: economic relief from COVID-19. I’m proud that, after a lot of bipartisan effort with Senator Collins, we were able to pass $200 million dollars in coronavirus aid that will go directly to logging and log-hauling businesses that have been hurt by the pandemic.

But that aid won’t matter to everyday folks until it’s in their pockets. That’s why I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues in February to press the U.S. Department of Agriculture to get money in loggers’ hands as soon as possible. I’ll keep you updated as we continue the push.

But we didn’t stop there. We need to look ahead too. For Maine’s logging industry, that means looking at our workforce. We need new blood, but new loggers also provided almost 6,000 Maine forest landowners with educational or technical assistance, supported responses to the more than 1,100 wildfires that occurred in this unusually dry year, and funded research on wood pellet heating, mass timber construction, biochar, and other innovative markets. Another matter under this Subcommittee’s jurisdiction that affects Maine’s working forests is our ability to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions by producing biofuels from low-grade wood. For years, I have been working with my Congressional colleagues to urge EPA to clarify the definition of renewable biomass as it relates to Maine’s wood harvest residuals and pre-commercial thinnings. Clarifying that the wood harvested in Maine meets this definition would permit Maine’s wood feedstocks to participate in EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program (RFS), leading to new economic opportunities and biofuel industry development in our state. Language I submitted directing EPA to engage with forestry stakeholders to create markets for low-grade and low value wood was signed into law via the FY2021 appropriations bill. As Interior Appropriations Chair, I’m looking forward to working with EPA to implement this directive in the 117th Congress. need an opportunity to learn the ropes. Luckily, now, there are new opportunities on the horizon.

I'm honored to lead the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment at this critical moment. As Chair, I look forward to working with you to provide the resources needed to preserve the longterm health of our environment and our forests, while ensuring that Maine’s forest products sector remains a driving economic force.

After hearing from loggers and others working in Maine’s heritage industries that they didn’t have the same access to apprenticeship grant funding as other American industries, I knew we had to take action. So when Congress passed a bill expanding apprenticeship grants earlier this year, I added an amendment to the bill to make loggers, fishermen, farmers, and other Maine heritage industry workers explicitly eligible for the apprenticeship grants. We hope to see the Senate take quick action.

I know there’s still so much that we can do to help. But to make sure I get it done, I need to hear from you. Our team is here to help, and you’re the experts. Please, reach out however is easiest for you by phone, or email with suggestions if you have them.

Like I said last time, you can reach my staff at:

Lewiston: (207) 241-6767

Caribou: (207) 492-6009

Bangor: (207) 249-7400

You can also send us an email at: golden.house.gov/contact/email-me

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.