[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 76 (Thursday, May 2, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. King):
  S. 4251. A bill to establish a payment program for unexpected loss of 
markets and revenues to timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses 
due to major disasters, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I rise to introduce a bill with my 
colleague, Senator King, that will help the hard-working loggers across 
this country affected by severe storms and natural disasters. In Maine 
alone, logging has a roughly $582 million annual economic impact and is 
the backbone of the forest products economy.
  In Maine and in many places across the country, the logging industry 
has felt the effects of severe weather events and warmer than normal 
winters. This past winter, Maine experienced many storms, including two 
December and January that were designated Federal disasters. These 
storms were detrimental to many industries but especially logging, as 
the winter months are usually the best months for loggers to harvest 
timber when the frozen ground makes access easier. The rainstorms 
saturated the ground, and the mud made it much more difficult to 
operate and transport heavy logging equipment without disturbing the 
soil underneath.
  These storms also closed bridges and roads on vital trucking routes, 
hindering the movement of equipment and employees to logging sites. For 
example, the December 18 storm washed out a bridge on a vital trucking 
route that forced an 80-mile detour for wood being distributed to both 
northern and southern markets. According to the Professional Logging 
Contractors of the Northeast, this December wind and rainstorm in Maine 
resulted in more than $2.5 million in losses.
  Despite these documented losses, there is currently no Federal 
program to assist loggers who have been affected by federally declared 
disasters. That is why I am introducing the Logger Economic Assistance 
and Relief Act, which would authorize income replacement for logging 
contractors equal to 10 percent of eligible gross lost revenue from the 
previous calendar year. Funds received under this program can only be 
used for operating expenses. Our legislation is modeled off of the 
successful Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers 
Program, which I created during the COVID pandemic to provide much 
needed aid to our timber harvesters.
  I am grateful for the Professional Logging Council of the Northeast 
and the American Logging Council's support of our legislation, and I 
urge my colleagues to join in this effort to support one of our 
country's core economic drivers.
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