{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-welcomes-454000-federal-grant-create-maine-mass-timber", "Pingree Welcomes $454,000 Federal Grant to Create Maine Mass Timber Commercialization Center", "2017-09-27", "2017", "2017-09", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Chellie Pingree", "P000597", "pingree.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) today welcomed news of a major federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to create the Maine Mass Timber Commercialization Center at the University of Maine.\u00a0\n\u201cThe first step to revitalizing Maine\u2019s critical forest products industry\u2014and bringing back the jobs it has supported for generations\u2014is finding and commercializing new innovations for those products. The University of Maine has done fantastic work in this regard, notably in mass timber products that can compete with concrete and steel in building practices,\u201d said Congresswoman Pingree. \u201cWith our natural resources and hard-working labor force, Maine is in a great position to capitalize on that potential. I\u2019m excited to see what developments come out of the Maine Mass Timber Commercialization Center and have been proud to work with Maine\u2019s Congressional Delegation to help bring federal resources to help write the next chapter of Maine\u2019s forest products industry.\u201d\nMass timber products, such as cross-laminated timber, have the increased strength needed to build taller, multi-story buildings than with conventional lumber.\u00a0\nThe Economic Development Administration i6 grant is for $454,532. According to the EDA, \u201cThis EDA investment funds the creation of the Maine Mass Timber Commercialization Center, based at the University of Maine. The Center will team up with industrial partners, trade organizations, construction firms, architects, and other stakeholders in the region to revitalize and diversify Maine\u2019s forest-based economy by bringing innovative mass timber manufacturing to the State of Maine. The emergence of this new innovation based industry cluster will result in positive economic impacts to both local and regional economies, particularly in Maine\u2019s rural communities.\u201d\nPingree has worked work with the rest of Maine\u2019s Congressional Delegation to bring an Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) to Maine to study ways to revitalize the state's forest products economy and bring federal resources to implement the team\u2019s recommendations. She is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and has worked with her colleagues on fully funding the Forest Service budget and the EDA.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://pingree.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/pingree-welcomes-454000-federal-grant-create-maine-mass-timber"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9686530102044344, "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"}