Congressional Delegation Updates

Growing the Workforce for Maine’s Forest Products Industry

Maine’s dedicated workforce is one of our State’s greatest assets in economic development. Time and again, business leaders cite our hardworking men and women as a primary reason for investing here, with the ongoing expansion of Louisiana Pacific’s SmartSide production line at LP Houlton a recent example.

As workforce shortages continue to affect industries statewide and as the nature of work becomes more technical and demands advanced skills, it is essential that our job training programs keep pace. Small business owners have told me that one of the biggest challenges they face is finding qualified and trained workers to fill vacant positions. In such fields as logging, seafood, manufacturing, agriculture, and wind energy, job training creates economic opportunities by aligning employees’ skills with employers’ needs, preparing individuals for a successful future.

Two bipartisan bills I have introduced will help bridge this divide. The American Apprenticeship Act would provide states with tuition assistance funding to support apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. This assistance would help align employees’ skills with employers’ needs and create a pipeline of skilled workers.

There is no state like Maine. We have a shared history that is woven throughout our communities, and proud traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. From potato and dairy farming to lobstering and logging, our heritage industries have long epitomized the Maine way of life.

For centuries, the logging industry has been foundational for our state and rural areas – creating good jobs, supporting working families, and providing essential economic activity. As Maine moves into the 21st Century, it’s imperative we continue our support of the logging industry and help a new generation access the fulfilling, good-paying jobs.

We need to encourage young Mainers to explore careers in logging and provide them with opportunities to join your field in a safe, managed way. That’s why Congressman Golden and I were proud to introduce the Future Logging Careers Act this month, with the rest of the Maine Congressional Delegation’s support. The bipartisan bill would give Maine youth the option to jumpstart their career by logging with their parents or grandparents while in high school.

The second bill is called the Jumpstarting Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act. This legislation would allow students in Maine and across the country to use federal Pell Grants to afford high-quality, shorter-term vocational training programs. By expanding Pell Grant eligibility, the JOBS Act would help close skill gaps, address workforce shortages, and provide workers with the specialized training and credentials they need for careers in high-demand fields. As of now, low-income and working students can only use Pell Grants for two-year and four-year colleges or universities.

In addition to comprehensive legislation, I continue to champion tailored job-training programs for specific industries. For example, in the Department of Labor funding bill for Fiscal Year 2022, I secured $1 million for the Northern Maine Community College Mechanized Logging Operations program, which has placed graduates into logging careers by providing training with the latest technology to meet the industry’s needs.

Apprenticeship and other job training programs are proven, successful tools that help young people prepare for rewarding careers. I have visited a number of impressive workforce training programs across Maine that open the doors of opportunity to students in a wide range of fields, from forestry and welding to health care and HVAC. By helping more students in our state access this career pathway, the American Apprenticeship Act and the JOBS Act would assist the next generation with obtaining good-paying jobs and make it easier for businesses to find qualified workers.

It means your kids could get invaluable hands-on experience to see if they want to follow in your footsteps –and if they decide they do, they already have the training to get right to work. It’s a commonsense effort to get more people into the industry and provide good job opportunities. This will be an important step to protect Maine’s logging future, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. As you know well, the logging industry can only be as successful as our forests. If we want to give our children and grandchildren the option to continue logging, we need to ensure that our forests are healthy enough to continue producing world-class products.

This starts with data; it’s critical that we get a better understanding of how a changing climate will impact Maine forests and the industry. Earlier this month, Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi – another proud logging state – and I introduced a bill to establish an industry-led “Future of Forests” panel that can produce comprehensive recommendations to make sure the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program at the U.S. Forest Service is addressing climate change, supporting forest health, and bolstering sustainable wood production.

These recommendations would align with the FOR/ ME Initiative and protect our forests for decades of logging and public use. There’s a lot to be done, but I’m hopeful Congress will pass both bipartisan bills to support the work you do and help secure Maine’s proud forest heritage.

With the 118th Congress in full swing, my House Agriculture Committee colleagues and I are hard at work crafting a new Farm Bill.

Don’t let the name fool you. The Farm Bill, which is passed roughly every five years, is not legislation exclusively about farming it actually has 12 separate sections or “titles'' governing a wide swath of policy areas ranging from broadband and housing to food access and farm financing. There’s an entire title dedicated to Forestry. This legislation represents a huge opportunity to support Maine’s forest economy.

We’ve seen the immense benefits Farm Bill programs have on Maine’s forestry industry. The 2018 Farm Bill created the Wood Innovations Grant program to help bring innovative wood products to market. Projects range from utilizing wood residues for energy to advancing non-energy-based wood products. The last Farm Bill also authorized the Community Wood Energy Program. These projects support the construction of innovative wood product facilities and installation of community wood energy systems.

Since 2016, Maine has benefitted from 4 million in federal funding through these programs. There have been 8 Wood Innovation grants and 3 Community Wood Energy grants awarded to support projects in Maine. Projects range from biochar production to increasing

Family-owned logging businesses are the backbone of Maine’s forest economy and their ability to pass down the trade to future generations is critical to their and the industry’s survival.

As many of you know, right now current law prevents young Mainers from getting hands-on training from their parents or grandparents. Last week, I introduced bipartisan legislation to fix this problem so that future generations of loggers can train and work in the family business and help address the workforce shortage that our forest products industry is currently facing.

Our bipartisan bill called the Future Logging Careers Act, allows 16 and 17-year-olds in Maine to assist their family’s businesses with day to day operations, including operating logging machinery, under parental supervision. This legislation will allow young Mainers to whole house pellet heating. For example, Dirigo Center Developers received a $250,000 grant for a crosslaminated timber tower and retail demonstration project that will expand markets for Maine’s forest products. get an early start learning the family trade, just like the children of farmers and ranchers, and lay the foundation of a good living in the woods.

As we look to the 2023 Farm Bill, I am committed to strengthening this centuries-old industry. I understand Maine’s logging industry is facing challenges warmer winters are making harvest seasons shorter, costs are up, and logging industry jobs are declining. I was proud to recently join the rest of the Maine delegation in introducing the Future Logging Careers Act to help train the next generation of loggers.

As we continue to confront the climate crisis, companies nationwide want to offset their carbon emissions. One way for companies to reduce their environmental footprint is to participate in “carbon markets” and support carbon sequestration in our forests. Approximately 95% of Maine forest land is privately owned, but few forest owners currently participate in carbon markets due to the up-front costs and uncertainty about rules and requirements. I will be pushing Congress to break down these barriers and help make sure forest owners in Maine and across the country can benefit from these opportunities.

As Congress negotiates the next Farm Bill, I want to hear from you about how we can better support Maine’s forest economy. Email PingreeAg@mail.house.gov to share your thoughts and ideas with me and my team. You can also visit pingree.house.gov/FarmBill to learn more about my Farm Bill priorities and how this bill will impact you.

If you’d like more information, please shoot our logger support team an email at MELoggerSupportTeam@mail.house.gov. We should get back to you quickly.

Outside of the woods, I know that times are tough right now. Even if it is not related to your work, my team and I are here to help. Please let us know if we can help you solve problems you or your family is having with Medicare, Social Security, the VA, or other federal programs or agencies.

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