{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-applaud-approval-of-norway-spruce-for-construction-grade-dimensional-lumber_", "Collins, King Applaud Approval of Norway Spruce for Construction-Grade Dimensional Lumber", "2016-11-01", "2016", "2016-11", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Collins, King Applaud Approval of Norway Spruce for Construction-Grade Dimensional Lumber  \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, November 1, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King applauded a decision to approve Norway spruce as construction-grade dimensional lumber. Senators Collins and King commended a team of researchers from the University of Maine that conducted extensive testing on the wood species, which informed the decision by the American Lumber Standards Committee to approve Norway spruce for use in construction.\u00a0 The decision will benefit Maine landowners, loggers, lumber mills, retailers, and builders.\r\n\u201cApproval of Norway spruce as construction-grade is exciting news for Maine\u2019s forest products industry and is a perfect example of how research and business communities can work together to create economic opportunities,\u201d said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. \u201cWe applaud the team of researchers and students at the UMaine Composites Center whose hard work helped lead to this decision that will open doors for rural Maine.\u201d\r\nOn October 30th, The American Lumber Standards Committee approved the inclusion of Norway spruce in the Spruce-Pine-Fir South grouping of wood species for home construction and industrial applications. That decision was based in part on the testing done at the UMaine Composites Center on lumber milled from Norway spruce.\r\nThe team of UMaine staff and students was led by wood composites manager Russell Edgar and wood composites technician Jon Hill. The team tested 1,320 pieces of lumber from Norway spruce grown in Maine, Vermont, New York and Wisconsin.\r\nFor more information on the Norway spruce species and its approval for construction use, click HERE.\r\nMore information on the testing conducted at UMaine is available HERE.\r\n###", 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://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/collins-king-applaud-approval-of-norway-spruce-for-construction-grade-dimensional-lumber_"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0957039669156075, "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"}