Legislation Looks To Support Mills In Oregon, Nationwide

On Wednesday, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Montana’s Tim Sheehy introduced the bipartisan Supporting American Wood and Mill Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity Act, or the SAWMILL Act.  The legislation looks to supports mills in Oregon, Montana, and across the nation by unlocking federal dollars to support mills retooling or modernizing their infrastructure, enabling them to process hazardous fuels coming off public lands.

The bipartisan SAWMILL Act permanently authorizes USDA’s Timber Production Expansion Loan Guarantee Program.  The program offers low-interest, long-term loans for timber and wood processing companies to invest in their facilities and equipment, with a particular emphasis on supporting timber mills processing hazardous fuels.

Supporters: Act Will Help Economies And The Environment

Merkley and Sheehy  said this simultaneously boosts rural economies and reduces wildfire risk on public lands.

“As the son of a millwright born in the heart of Oregon’s timber country, I know how vital our timber mills are to rural communities,” Merkley said. “This industry presents a huge opportunity for Oregon, and our bipartisan effort helps communities harness its power to create good-paying jobs, reduce wildfire risk, and increase forest resiliency.  Oregon’s rural economies depend upon innovative solutions like this to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing our timber mills, and the SAWMILL Act is an important tool to do just that, a win-win for our rural communities and wildfire mitigation.”

“We used to have dozens of timber mills in Montana, but now few remain, and for too long we’ve shipped in timber from foreign countries when we could be getting it for cheaper while growing our economy right here in America. It’s time the federal government works for, not against, working Americans, and this bill will give our timber mills the support they need to build a successful future in Montana. By embracing the resource economy, we will help create more good-paying jobs, mitigate wildfire threats, improve forest health and wildlife habitat, and revive the American Dream in rural communities across the country,” said Sheehy.

Proposal Receives Positive Response From Industry

The bipartisan bill is supported by the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition, Sustainable Northwest, American Wood Council, National Alliance of Forest Owners, American Forests, American Forest Resource Council, and The Nature Conservancy. 

"The Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition strongly supports Senator Merkley’s Supporting American Wood and Mill Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity (SAWMILL) Act, which provides essential loan guarantees to help establish, expand, reopen, or modernize rural wood-processing facilities near high-priority federal lands. By restoring local milling capacity, the bill reduces the cost of forest stewardship and hazardous fuels removal—making our forests healthier and communities safer. This legislation is a commonsense investment in both ecological resilience and rural economic vitality," said Laurel Harkness, RVCC Coalition Director. 

"Sustainable Northwest thanks Senator Merkley for introduction of the SAWMILL Act. As the West faces a worsening wildfire crisis it is more important than ever that we support the essential workforce to restore the health of our forests, create good paying jobs in rural communities, and manufacture local, sustainable wood products right here at home," said Dylan Kruse, President, Sustainable Northwest 

“We applaud Senators Merkley and Sheehy for their efforts to support rural communities and promote sustainable forest management,” said Dave Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO).“Expanding domestic timber-processing capacity will help reduce wildfire risk and create good-paying jobs.  We look forward to working with both Senators on this and other legislation that helps build rural prosperity by sustaining both our forests and our forest products sector.” 

“America’s sawmills are valuable investments in maintaining resilient forests,” said Rebecca Turner, Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer, American Forests.“The SAWMILL Act ensures that USDA will continue to play its role as loan guarantor that will support rural communities, ensure jobs and maintain healthy forests.”

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