{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-collins-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-create-disaster-relief-fund-for-loggers", "Golden, Collins introduce bipartisan legislation to create disaster relief fund for loggers", "2025-07-23", "2025", "2025-07", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Jared F. Golden", "G000592", "golden.house.gov", "golden", "https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, which would establish a new program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support loggers who have lost income due to natural disasters.\n\nSenator Angus King (I-ME) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) are original cosponsors of the legislation, while Congressman Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) is the lead cosponsor in the House.\n\nCurrent law excludes loggers from the kinds of disaster relief and assistance available to other industries, including fishermen and farmers, when natural disasters strike. Under the Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, a disaster declaration from the president or governor would unlock federal assistance eligibility for logging businesses with at least a 10 percent loss in revenue or volume compared to the prior year. Covered damage would include high winds, fire, flooding, insect infestation and drought.\n\n\u201cYou can\u2019t write the story of Maine without loggers. Our forest products industry has provided for generations of Mainers and continues to be the economic bedrock of many rural communities. There must be a safety net to ensure one particularly bad season cannot uproot logging families and communities\u201d Golden said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of our loggers, and I\u2019m proud of the rock-solid coalition we\u2019re building to support them. \u201d\n\n\u201cMaine\u2019s forest products industry has long supported good\u2011paying jobs and helped grow local economies across our state. Loggers are at the heart of that industry, but devastating storms in recent years have severely impacted the ability of logging businesses to operate at full capacity,\u201d Senator Collins said. \u201cThis bipartisan bill would provide targeted financial assistance to help loggers recover from federally declared disasters, so that they can continue their important work, sustain rural communities, and contribute to our state\u2019s economy.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Minnesota\u2019s Eighth Congressional District, our forest products industry has created good paying jobs and driven our local economies,\u201d Stauber said. \u201cUnfortunately, this crucial industry is currently facing a wide variety of threats, from wildfires and drought to insect infestation. Minnesota\u2019s loggers have supported our communities for generations, and it is now our turn to support them. That\u2019s why I am proud to introduce legislation with my friend, Congressman Jared Golden, to establish a new program through the USDA that will provide financial assistance to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses that have seen their bottom line impacted by natural disasters. I look forward to seeing this legislation help ensure Minnesota\u2019s forest products industry remains strong and resilient.\u201d\n\nIn December 2023, Maine\u2019s logging industry lost $2.6 million after just one particularly severe storm \u2014 with a survey released by the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast later finding that more than 90 percent of the industry\u2019s businesses suffered damage to equipment or logistics. In total, Maine\u2019s economy lost $5.5 million due to the loss in logging revenue and productivity that winter.\n\n\u201cGenerations of loggers have spent their lifetimes powering our state\u2019s economy while providing for their families, which is why it is so important to protect and sustain this historic industry,\u201d Senator King said. \u201cAs natural disasters across Maine increase, the bipartisan Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act will help establish a new program within the USDA to support loggers who need assistance to overcome damage and lost income. The logging industry has supported rural Maine families and communities for hundreds of years, and it\u2019s imperative that investments in our foresting community evolve for today\u2019s challenges as we protect it for a sturdy future.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs Maine experiences more extreme weather events and natural disasters, it\u2019s imperative that we protect our state\u2019s loggers from potentially devastating financial impacts\u2014just as we\u2019ve long done for our fishermen and farmers,\u201d Pingree, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, said.\u201cWe\u2019ve already seen the harmful impacts climate change has created for our forest products industry, from delayed harvests to damaged equipment and infrastructure. This common-sense, bipartisan legislation will provide real relief to the families and communities that rely on Maine\u2019s forests for their livelihoods and wellbeing.\u201d\n\nLogging industry leaders praised the bipartisan legislation:\n\nDana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast: \u201cFor too long, logging and forest trucking contractors in the Northeast have been left out of federal relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters, despite suffering losses as severe as those in other industries like fishing and farming that have received aid. The extreme weather our region has experienced in recent years has idled harvest operations for long periods, destroyed logging and timber hauling infrastructure, and driven up costs at a time when the logging industry is already grappling with unprecedented challenges and can least afford it. We are grateful to Congressmen Golden and the rest of Maine\u2019s delegation for their leadership in this effort to secure fair treatment for these hard-working small family businesses, and we encourage swift passage of the Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act to provide the aid the industry deserves.\u201d\n\nChuck Ames, president of SDR Logging, Sebec, ME: \u201cI talk to loggers every day and most are struggling, but all they ask for is a level playing field with other industries. I believe this legislation is a step in the right direction toward treating loggers the same as farmers and fishermen. We are all harvesting natural resources, and are all impacted by natural disasters. I appreciate the efforts of Congressman Golden and the rest of Maine's congressional delegation to recognize that and pass this bill on our behalf.\u201d\n\nMarc Greaney, president of Western Maine Timberlands, Fryeburg, ME: \u201cI have been logging for decades in Western Maine, and in recent years have seen severe weather limit my company's ability to harvest and truck wood for longer periods of time than ever before. When we can't cut and move wood we don't get paid, and this is happening at the same time that operating costs are continuing to rise, so I am grateful to Congressman Golden and the other members of Maine's congressional delegation for attempting to provide disaster relief to loggers in the same way it has been provided to other industries in the past.\u201d\n\nScott Dane, executive director of the American Loggers Council: \u201cThe timber industry invests in public and private stumpage (timber) years in advance. A multiyear timber portfolio is necessary to adjust for market and weather conditions. This is an essential element for a logger\u2019s business plan. When unforeseen natural disasters such as drought, wildfire, winds, and invasive species infestations occur, the timber is lost. There are limited options, if any, to replace that timber with new tracts in a timely manner. These losses are extremely disruptive to a logger\u2019s harvest plan and create a significant revenue loss. Congressman Golden\u2019s Loggers Assistance and Relief Act is necessary to support the timber industry, similar to assistance programs for other natural resource and agricultural sectors. The American Loggers Council appreciates the Maine Congressional Delegation, and other sponsors, for this Bill and the security it will provide to logging and trucking businesses\u201d\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-collins-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-create-disaster-relief-fund-for-loggers"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.6458988431841135, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}