[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               TIMBER 2.0

  (Mr. KILMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, folks in the rural communities of my region 
don't want our top export to be our kids. With that in mind, we are 
working to make sure that the timber industry can grow in a way that 
doesn't put conservation at odds with job creation.
  Earlier this week, I joined a summit on the Olympic Peninsula to talk 
about and strategize with regard to cross-laminated timber and other 
mass timber products. As local businesses and government and community 
leaders, we discussed how these mass timber products can utilize an 
abundant and sustainable resource while building on a workforce and 
infrastructure that set our region apart and can give the Nation 
greener buildings. Construction sites around the country could soon use 
sturdy, innovative, renewable wood products that are grown and 
manufactured on the Olympic Peninsula.
  As Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at a sawmill in Aberdeen 
recently: ``This is how we've got to do business. Working together and 
finding common ground is the only way forward.''
  In working together, we can develop timber 2.0, innovate, and build 
opportunities in rural communities and make sure that Washington State 
leads the way.

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