New Legislation Introduced to Support Modernizing Sawmills

Even as the U.S. Congress remains deeply divided, a new bipartisan bill has been introduced into the Senate.

The proposed legislation comes from Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Montana Senator Tim Sheehy and is called the “Supporting American Wood and Mill Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity (SAWMILL) Act.” It would support mills around the nation by providing federal dollars to support retooling or modernizing infrastructures.

“As the son of a millwright born in the heart of Oregon’s timber country, I know how vital our timber mills are to rural communities,” said Merkley. “This industry presents a huge opportunity for Oregon, and our bipartisan effort helps communities harness its power to create good-paying jobs, reduce wildfire risk and increase forest resiliency.

“Oregon’s rural economies depend upon innovative solutions like this to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing our timber mills, and the act is an important tool to do just that – a win-win for our rural communities and wildfire mitigation.”

“We used to have dozens of timber mills in Montana,” said Sheehy, “but now few remain, and for too long we’ve shipped in timber from foreign countries when we could be getting it for cheaper while growing our economy right here in America. It’s time the federal government works for, not against, working Americans, and this bill will give our timber mills the support they need to build a successful future in Montana.”

The legislation would offer low-interest, long-term loans for timber and wood processing companies to invest in their facilities and equipment, with a particular emphasis on supporting timber mills processing hazardous fuels, the backers said. It is supported by the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition; Sustainable Northwest; American Wood Council; National Alliance of Forest Owners; American Forests; American Forest Resource Council and The Nature Conservancy, the senators said.

What’s next for the proposed legislation remains to be seen. In the highly partisan atmosphere in Congress, its prospects are unknown.

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