U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Tim Sheehy introduced the Supporting American Wood and Mill Infrastructure with Loans for Longevity (SAWMILL) Act. The Act will permanently authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Timber Production Expansion Loan Guarantee Program. The program encourages timber and wood processing companies to invest in their facilities and equipment through access to low-interest, long-term loans.
“Our nation’s sawmills and wood processing facilities directly employ nearly half a million Americans, with individual mills serving as economic drivers in their communities. When a mill closes, the whole community suffers, and some unfortunately never recover. It’s no secret, the lack of housing starts has been difficult for our industry, and we applaud the Senators Merkley and Sheehy for their bipartisan work on the Sawmill Act. While critical work remains on issues like housing availability, the Sawmill Act is an important first step in helping mills remain open and ensuring communities can continue to rely on the family-wage jobs they provide,” said Jackson Morrill, President and CEO, American Wood Council.