{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.king.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/king-underscores-importance-of-maines-forest-economy-in-bangor-visits-pleasant-river-lumber-in-dover-foxcroft", "King Underscores Importance of Maine\u2019s Forest Economy in Bangor, Visits Pleasant River Lumber in Dover-Foxcroft", "2018-10-26", "2018", "2018-10", "Independent", "House", "ME", "Angus King", "K000383", "www.king.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "DOVER-FOXCROFT,\r\nME  Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) addressed attendees at the\r\nForest Community Readiness Forum in Bangor, where he emphasized the\r\nimportance of the forest economy in Maine's rural communities and highlighted\r\nhis continued efforts to support Maine's rural economy. The event was hosted by\r\nthe Forest Opportunity Roadmap (FOR/Maine) and Maine & Company, and focused\r\non economic investment strategies that support rural community redevelopment\r\nefforts and included leaders from various mill communities throughout Maine,\r\nlocal, state, and federal officials, and representatives of philanthropic\r\norganizations. Following his remarks at the forum, Senator King visited\r\nPleasant River Lumber, a sawmill in Dover-Foxcroft, to hear about their ongoing\r\ninvestments, tour their new construction and meet with the management team to\r\ndiscuss job creation and economic development in rural Maine. Maine\r\nforests have powered our state's economy for generations,said Senator\r\nKing.In rural communities across our state, the forest industry has\r\nbeen  and continues to be  an important economic engine. And this industry\r\nhas a bright future here thanks in large part to forward-thinking\r\ncollaborations like the FOR/Maine Initiative and the continued investments and dedication\r\nof management and employees alike at places like Pleasant River Lumber. Maine\r\nis a special place and thanks to so many here today, it can and will be a\r\nspecial place for Maine families for generations to come. Senator\r\nKing has been a strong supporter of Maine's forest economy, which plays a vital\r\nrole in the state's rural communities. Last month, Senator King joined with\r\nSenator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to applaud the2018\r\nFOR/Maine Initiative to grow Maine's forest economy and increase workforce\r\nprosperity in rural communities, which came after Senators King and Collins\r\ncalled on theU.S. Department of Commerce in 2016 to establish the Economic\r\nDevelopment Assessment Team (EDAT). The EDAT worked across federal and\r\nstate agencies, industry sectors, and municipalities to create strategies for\r\njob growth and economic development in Maine's rural communities, and its\r\nsubsequent recommendations led to the EDA and the U.S. Forest Service providing\r\nfunding for the FOR/Maine initiative. The forest industry has been a\r\ncornerstone of rural Maine communities for generations and has recently\r\nreceived significant investments: in February, Verso Corp. announced\r\n$17 million in upgrades in their Jay\r\nAndroscoggin mill, earlier this month, ND Paper announced it will invest $111\r\nmillion in its Rumford Mill and that it will purchase\r\nthe Old Town Mill that had been idled since 2015, and in September, Sappi\r\nNorth America announced\r\nthe completion of a $200 million project at the Somerset Mill in Skowhegan.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPhoto 1: Senator King views construction at Pleasant River Lumber in Dover-Foxcroft", 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/king-underscores-importance-of-maines-forest-economy-in-bangor-visits-pleasant-river-lumber-in-dover-foxcroft"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.550495158880949, "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"}