{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-leads-bipartisan-legislation-to-spur-innovation-for-georgias-forestry-industry-and-create-rural-jobs/", "Warnock Leads Bipartisan Legislation to Spur Innovation for Georgia\u2019s Forestry Industry and Create Rural Jobs", "2025-08-04", "2025", "2025-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "GA", "Raphael G. Warnock", "W000790", "www.warnock.senate.gov", "warnock", "https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Today, Senator Reverend Warnock introduced the Forest Bioeconomy Act to help expand forest product research and create new market opportunities for Georgia\u2019s forestry sector, helping create new jobs in rural Georgia\n\nGeorgia\u2019s forestry industry is a boon for the state, injecting $41.3 billion in economic impact in 2021\n\nIn 2023, Senator Warnock introduced the Disaster Reforestation Act to help Georgia\u2019s landowners recover from the loss of timber after natural disasters\n\nSenator Warnock: \u201cGeorgia\u2019s forestry industry is vital to our state\u2019s economy and I\u2019m proud to work with my colleagues to find a bipartisan solution to invest in the future success of this sector\u201d\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jim Justice (R-WV), and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced the bipartisan Forest Bioeconomy Act. The legislation would help expand forest product research and build new markets by formally establishing an Office of Technology Transfer at the United States Forest Service (USFS) and authorize $5 million in appropriations. By expanding product research, this legislation will help create new jobs in rural Georgia.\n\n\u201cGeorgia\u2019s forestry industry is vital to our state\u2019s economy and I\u2019m proud to work with my colleagues to find a bipartisan solution to invest in the future success of this sector,\u201d said Senator Warnock.\n\n\u201cTo protect our communities from increasingly catastrophic wildfires, we need to make forest management more effective and scalable,\u201d said Senator Heinrich. \u201cBy expanding technology transfer at the Forest Service and turning small-diameter trees into marketable wood products, we can create new revenue streams, scale up fuels reduction, and accelerate the work needed to reduce wildfire risk.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn West Virginia, we know the value of our forests and the importance of managing them wisely\u2014not just for the beauty and recreation they offer, but also for the jobs and strengthening our economy,\u201d said Senator Justice. \u201cThis bipartisan bill supports our rural economies, protects our communities from wildfires, and make the most of what our land gives us. It\u2019s a win for the economy, environment and for our people.\u201d\n\n\u201c70 percent of Montana\u2019s forests are federally owned, and we need to be doing all we can to ensure we\u2019re good stewards of these lands,\u201d said Senator Daines. \u201cI\u2019m proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill that will support proper forest management and create new markets for low value woody biomass.\u201d\n\nSenator Warnock has long fought for federal funding for communities, farmers, and forest landowners in Georgia. After Hurricane Helene, Senator Warnock remained on the frontlines of response efforts and pushed to deliver additional disaster assistance to Georgians, particularly Georgia\u2019s hard-hit agricultural communities. Georgia is the leading forestry state in the nation, leading in commercially available timberland, volume of timber harvested, exports of forest products, seedling production for reforestation, and much more.\n\nThe Forest Bioeconomy Act would establish a new Mass Timber Science and Education program at colleges and universities across the country to respond to emerging research needs of architects, developers, and the forest products industry. Senator Warnock has been a leader in this space, cosponsoring legislation in 2023 aimed at modernizing and improving the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to ensure the continued availability of reliable data and carbon analysis.\n\nRead full text of the bill HERE", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:47Z"]], "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.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-leads-bipartisan-legislation-to-spur-innovation-for-georgias-forestry-industry-and-create-rural-jobs/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3089461717754602, "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"}