{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senators-collins-king-announce-more-than-600000-in-innovation-awards-to-support-maines-forest-economy", "Senators Collins, King Announce More than $600,000 in Innovation Awards to Support Maine\u2019s Forest Economy", "2026-08-12", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "ME", "Susan M. Collins", "C001035", "www.collins.senate.gov", "collins", "https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) applauded a U.S. Forest Service announcement that Avedis Zildjian Co., ND Paper, Inc., and Robbins Lumber East Baldwin, LLC. have been awarded a combined $622,999 through the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s Wood Innovation Grant Program. These grants will support environmentally sustainable innovation and help expand markets for Maine\u2019s forest products.\n\n\u201cMaine\u2019s forest products industry is a vital part of our state\u2019s economy, and it is critical that this industry has the tools it needs to adapt to changing markets,\u201d said Senators Collins and King. \u201cThis funding will help ND Paper, Robbins Lumber, and Avedis Zildjian as they develop cutting-edge products, creating new opportunities for the forest products industry while supporting the rural communities that rely on it. We remain committed to supporting efforts to help Maine\u2019s forest economy continue to grow and thrive.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the funding has been allocated as follows:\n\nND Paper, Inc. \u2013 $300,000 to upgrade wood processing equipment to enhance production by 15,000 tons annually while supporting low-value wood markets.\n\nRobbins Lumber East Baldwin, LLC. \u2013 $235,714 to upgrade sawmill processing technologies to improve operational efficiencies while supporting active forest management.\n\nAvedis Zildjian Co. \u2013 $87,285 to develop a wood energy system at a manufacturing facility to increase low-value wood markets by 1,500 tons annually.\n\n+++\n\nSenators Collins and King have both long been supporters of Maine\u2019s forest economy.\n\nSince 2024, Senator Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has secured $24 million through appropriations legislation to mitigate the spread of spruce budworm in Northern Maine. She has also ensured the inclusion of a provision recognizing biomass as carbon neutral across federal agencies in appropriations legislation for more than a decade. Last month, she announced a $20 million award to Maine\u2019s Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub\u2014a forest economy development initiative led by the University of Maine.\n\nSenator King is seen as a national leader in efforts to support Maine\u2019s forest products industry. King previously introduced the bipartisan Future Logging Careers Act to help train the next generation of Maine loggers and the bipartisan Timber Innovation for Building Rural Communities Act to improve forest health and support Maine\u2019s rural economy. He also introduced legislation to establish a \u201cFuture of Forests\u201d panel tasked with making recommendations to secure the health of America\u2019s forests. Senators King was key in establishing the Forest Opportunity Roadmap Maine (FOR/ME) Initiative, a participant-led initiative that is helping to diversify the state\u2019s wood products businesses, attract investments, support research and development, and develop greater economic prosperity for rural communities impacted by mill closures.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-13T06:17:16Z", "2026-08-13T06:18:13Z"]], "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://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senators-collins-king-announce-more-than-600000-in-innovation-awards-to-support-maines-forest-economy"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0369669180363417, "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"}