Gluesenkamp Perez, Newhouse, Pingree Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Markets for Forest Products

Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), along with Reps. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Chellie Pingree (ME-01), introduced the bipartisan Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act. The bill will strengthen the U.S. Forest Service’s Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Grant Program, as well as modernize and increase the federal share of project costs for the Wood Innovations Grant Program.

Community Wood Grants provide funds to install thermally led community wood energy systems or to build innovative wood product manufacturing facilities. Currently, the program is oversubscribed, making it difficult for small and rural communities to get access to federal funding to build markets and products for forest products.

The Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act would:

• Improve the Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovations Grant Program, which aids the construction of small wood products facilities, by increasing:
  • Increasing the authorization from $25 million to $50 million per year.
  • Increasing the maximum grant per facility from $1 million to $5 million.
  • Increasing the federal cost-share from 35 to 50 percent.
  • Increasing the maximum size for community wood energy systems eligible for grant funding from 5 to 15 megawatts.
  • Changing the program’s name to the Community Wood Facilities Grant Program to avoid the current confusion with the similarly named Wood Innovations Grant Program.
• Lower the Wood Innovations Grant Program minimum non-federal cost-share from 50 percent to 33.3 percent. The program provides grants for proposed innovative uses and applications and the expansion of markets for wood products.

“When we have strong markets for forest products, our timber economies thrive in Southwest Washington. It’s how we rebuild wealth and opportunities in our rural communities, as well as independent logging, trucking, and milling operations,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “Our bipartisan bill will help bring jobs back to our woods and keep our forests healthy and managed to reduce the risk of wildfire.”

“The forest products industry is a key part of Central Washington’s economy and is critical to U.S. product supply chains,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This legislation modernizes the Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Grant and helps create jobs in the industry while maintaining proper forest health. I thank Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez for her leadership on this important issue as we work to strengthen our region’s forestry industry.”

“The U.S. Forest Service’s Community Wood Energy and Wood Innovation Grant Program and the Wood Innovations Grant Program are so important – especially for forested states like Maine. Our bill would strengthen these vital federal grant programs and would be a game-changer for Maine’s forest and wood products industry, helping it meet the challenges of an ever-changing sector,” said Rep. Pingree, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment. “Not only would our bill create quality jobs and strengthen rural economies; it would incentivize new product markets by supporting investments in renewable wood-energy projects and other cutting-edge endeavors. Our forestry industry is an integral part of Maine’s history and heritage. This bill would help ensure it remains an economic cornerstone well into the future.”

This month, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez urged the Administration to refrain from cuts to federal workers that could negatively impact timber production, wildfire readiness, and recreation in Southwest Washington. Following the President’s Executive Order to increase domestic lumber production on federal lands, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez expressed support for an approach that prioritizes small, independent logging, trucking, and mill operators.

Earlier this year, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s provisions were signed into law to extend eligibility for the Forest Service’s Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) for federal forest restoration and management projects to Tribes and counties to increase opportunities for cross-boundary restoration.

Full text of the legislation is available here.

The lawmakers previously introduced the legislation in the 118th Congress.