Congressional Delegation Updates

Maine’s timber industry is an essential part of our economy and our heritage. It continues to be the primary economic engine of many rural communities throughout our State. To prevent severe worker shortages and to provide good jobs, the next generation needs to be prepared for the logging profession, as experienced operators of modern timber harvesting equipment

Maine’s heritage of familyowned logging businesses must be strengthened for the years to come. That is why I have co-sponsored the bipartisan Future Logging Careers Act that would enable young people to learn to operate logging equipment safely.

This bipartisan legislation would amend federal law so that 16- and 17-year-olds would be allowed to work in mechanized logging operations under parental supervision. It would level the playing field for the logging trade with other agricultural fields by allowing family members to gain

Despite what you may hear, the last few years in Congress have been among the most productive and bipartisan in decades. Since the start of 2020, we’ve passed a muchneeded infrastructure package; made historic investments in clean, affordable energy; and spurred the return of cutting-edge American manufacturing. But the work doesn’t stop there – I’m hopeful that over the coming months and years, we’ll build on this momentum with more bipartisan accomplishments.

One of the most promising pieces of upcoming legislation is the Farm Bill: a large package of bipartisan legislation that’s passed every five years to shape agricultural policy – including forestry and logging. Maine is no stranger to these issues. Farming and forestry are inseparable from our history, culture, and economic success. As Congress begins to shape the Farm Bill, we need to ensure feedback and priorities from Maine’s logging community are included. Seeing recent expansions at Sappi Skowhegan, LP Houlton, and Timber HP in Madison, it’s clear that the success of Maine’s logging industry depends on our ability to embrace new opportunities like cross laminated timber (CLT), renewable wood energy, and other 21st Century forest products. One of the major drivers of these game-changing innovations has been the federal Wood Innovation Grant (WIG) program, which has invested millions of dollars in Maine projects like Robbins Lumber’s biomass energy research, Dirigo Center Developers’ CLT office demonstration, and The University of Maine’s wood-based experience in logging at an earlier age so that they can pursue a rewarding career and carry on the family business.

It is essential that existing, generations-old businesses be allowed to prepare the next generation for entry into the profession as experienced operators and managers. It also is essential that young people in forest-products families have the opportunity to live and prosper in the communities they love. In addition to the key role they play in driving Maine’s rural economy, trained loggers have the knowledge and experience to foster healthy, fire-resistant forests.

I come from a forest-products family. The S.W. Collins Company was founded in Caribou in 1844, and six generations later, it is still going strong. I appreciate the contributions your industry makes to communities across our state and understand the challenges you face.

Maine’s working forests are an international model of successful, responsible stewardship, where public and private interests are respected and shared by all. The Future Logging Careers Act will help to preserve this model for generations to come.

3D printed home.

The Farm Bill is another chance to build on the success of this community-supporting program and bring further development to our state. I hope to significantly expand the size and number of Wood Innovation Grants, use the funding to encourage research in especially promising technologies, and increase the amount of matching funds available to Maine organizations.

These investments are being driven by smart, hardworking Maine people, like you, who are committed to the future of our forest product industry. The Farm Bill should also include more grants for schools and training organizations to teach people how to design, build, and innovate with wood, including mass timber. It’s a commonsense way to support further development of the industry while expanding the careers available to our younger generations.

Maine’s promising logging projects and new markets all rely on keeping our forests healthy for decades to come, making it imperative that we understand the impacts of the changing climate. Congress should use the bill to secure the future of our forests and expand the vital U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program that provides forest data and recommendations to loggers and forest owners. With better information and analysis, we can successfully navigate our shifting climate and continue to invest in Maine’s forest future.

I’ll continue working to ensure the final Farm Bill package includes feedback from Maine people, including dairy producers, lobstermen, and crop farmers. Do you have other suggestions for how Congress can support you in the Farm Bill? Be sure to reach out to my office and let us know. Together, I’m confident that we can keep up the good, bipartisan work and continue to strengthen Maine communities.

Since Congressional Democrats and President Biden passed and signed the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act into law, historic and game-changing investments have been continuously infused back into our communities. It cannot be overstated how significant these pieces of legislation have been and will continue to be for the people of Maine.

In June, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that, thanks to funding made possible by the infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $43 million to expand innovative uses of wood, including as a construction material in commercial buildings, as an energy source, and in manufacturing and processing input for wood products used in framing homes, making paper products and more.

Through Community Wood and Wood Innovation Grants, these funds will be invested in 123 projects nationwide, including four in Maine totaling $2.4 million. With the $1.5 million Community Wood Innovation Grant, TimberHP will expand manufacturing capacity and marketing of innovative wood fiber insulation. Portland Museum of Art, TanBark Molded Fiber Products, and Jesup Memorial Library were each awarded $300,000 for their wood innovation projects. These projects range from replacing plastic packaging with fiber from wood-based cellulose to expanding the use of mass timber.

In the last three months, I’ve been lucky to get some substantial facetime with Maine loggers.

In March, I attended the American Loggers Council Congressional Reception where I got to connect with some industry members from back home. At the reception, I was awarded the Inaugural American Loggers Council Congressional Leadership Award and I tell you not to brag, but because that award really belongs to all of you.

So many of you have taken the time to teach me about this business. Others have taken the time to talk to me about the things that are working for loggers in Maine and about the things that aren’t.

You’ve also taken the opportunity to ask me some thoughtful questions about my take on how Washington is (and isn’t) working. At the Annual Professional Logging Contractors of Maine’s Annual Meeting in Bar Harbor last month, I got to answer your questions and speak with many of you about legislation and politics that matter to you as loggers or even just as a citizen who this government is supposed to represent.

Federal forest grant programs like these are an essential part of Maine’s robust forestry industry helping create quality jobs, strengthen rural economies, and support new forest products markets.

But to meet the changing needs of the industry and to support the forest products sector as part of the climate solution, these programs need to be updated. That’s why I recently introduced the bicameral Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act, which would make investments to support renewable wood energy projects and create new market opportunities to support Maine’s important heritage industry well into the future.

As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment and as a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I am always looking for ways to support renewable wood innovations that uplift Maine’s logging and forestry industries. We will be working to build on the federal support in the upcoming Farm Bill and Appropriations bills for the 2024 Fiscal Year. So, as I continue my work in Congress to bring home more opportunities for you, I encourage you to reach out to my office if you need any guidance or help navigating these important programs available to you.

I know that despite the recent challenges, there are bright moments ahead for Maine’s forest heritage industry and I’m proud to be your advocate in Washington to help realize these opportunities in Maine.

If I’ve successfully represented the logging community these past four years all of the credit is yours – all I did was listen and take advantage of the good advice you’ve offered me about how I can best represent you. From financial assistance for loggers, to money to support the Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program, or even the sawmill training facility money we got for the University of Maine recently. All of that work came about because of you.

If you’d like more information about support available for loggers in Mainer, 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