View as Webpage

We started this week off on a sad note as we learned on Monday that Pride Manufacturing is closing the doors to their Burnham facility. In addition to being featured as a tour at our Annual Meeting in 2023, Lincoln Logs were a Christmas present for Krysta's sons this past year. Ellen is making an order for her niece and nephews this week. The loss of this facility that manufactured a diverse portfolio of products will be felt throughout the industry in central Maine.

On Tuesday we started our week bright and early with Timber Talk , our Legislative Breakfast Series. We featured Neil Thompson, UMFK; Alex Ingraham, Maine Budworm Response Coalition; and Patty Cormier, Maine Forest Service who gave an update on the success of 2025's budworm treatment strategy. We had a strong turnout of lawmakers, staff and members. View the full presentation here.

Our next and final breakfast event of the session will be on February 24th will feature a panel on the state of the forest economy. Sponsored by Robbins Lumber and Sappi, this event is now open for registration for members and lawmakers. RSVPs can also be sent to Ellen at eparent@maineforest.org.

***

Also on Tuesday, the Taxation Committee held a public hearing on LD 2044, "An Act To Allow For The Transferability Of The Biofuel Production And Renewable Chemicals Tax Credits." This bill would retool an existing tax incentive that has not yet been utilized in a way that would make it more beneficial for where we are at in establishing biofuel manufacturing today. MFPC was joined by representatives from Biofine and Castlerock testifying in favor of this bill, with Prentiss and Carlisle and Katahdin Forest Management submitting testimony in support as well.

***

On Wednesday, the Taxation Committee held a work session on LD 191, "An Act To Support Maine Businesses By Establishing A Pass-through Entity Tax And Tax Credit." This bill has been championed by the Maine Manufacturing Association and supported by many members of the business community. The bill was tabled as it will likely be incorporated as the tax conformity prong of the governor's budget.

***

On Thursday, the Health and Human Services Committee held a work session on LD 1737, " An Act To Ensure The Future Of Maine's Sporting Camp Heritage." Though the committee voted "Ought Not to Pass," the committee will be writing a letter asking the Department of Health and Human Services to consider regulatory changes as to how they assess the health and safety of heritage sporting camps that may have very different needs to a large urban hotel.

***

Next week will kick off on Monday - assuming Legislative work is not canceled due to the storm - in Inland Fisheries and Wildlife with a long anticipated work session on a bill that MFPC is vehemently opposed to, LD 19. According to a survey of our membership last year, this bill, which seeks to increase the allowable weight limit of ATVs to 2,500 pounds, would likely lead to the closure of at least 600 miles of trails on private lands. The Public Access to Private Lands Working Group, which was tasked with reviewing public access issues broadly, is in the final stages of drafting a report back to the IFW Committee. This report will include findings on ATV issues that should be informative to the Committee as they work through this bill. It is our hope that the IFW Committee either vote this bill down on Monday or postpone a vote until after the final report is presented early next month.

***

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you all for lending your help and expertise so far this session. 

Best,

Krysta West and Ellen Parent

Maine Forest Products Council

Cross Laminated Timber Update

One of MFPC's highest priority bills for this year is a bond bill to incentivize the entrance of a cross-laminated timber (CLT) manufacturing facility to Maine. The bond bill, LD 798, "An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue to Fund Mass Timber Manufacturing" was carried over from last session.

The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), the Northern Forest Center (NFC), and the US Forest Service (USFS) recently published an analysis, A Current‑to‑Future Analysis for Mass Timber in the Northern Forest, that provides strong arguments in favor of the effort. Mass timber has the opportunity to be a major new market for the forest products sector in Maine. Further diversification of reduces risk with growing markets for value-added products sourced from our forests.

According to the report, “The next 2-3 years will be critical: if even one CLT or LVL facility breaks ground, it could catalyze a cluster (suppliers, secondary processors) in the region. State and federal support – through grants, loans or anchor customer commitments – may determine which of these plans come to fruition.”

Maine has been a leader on CLT, and it early to adopt the 2021 International Building Code, which allows for mass timber buildings up to 18 stories. “This was a game changer for Maine: it eliminated the need for case-by-case variances for taller than 6-story timber buildings.” “Maine and Massachusetts are enabling tall timber, and others will follow.” Maine is one of 28 states nationwide that have adopted the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) tall timber provisions.

As the report states, Maine is currently a consumer, not a producer, of mass timber. But with LD 798, Maine's position as a regional leader would be cemented, adding value to our supply chain, and our economy.

Additionally, locally-manufactured CLT could help Maine ease the housing crisis by reducing construction time by 20-25%. This reduced timeframe mitigates financial risk and can make CLT highly competitive with traditional building materials.

“Maine’s millions of acres of spruce-fir and hemlock that used to feed paper mills could now feed a CLT plant. Encouragingly, a new mass timber market could improve forest management by creating demand for underused species like hemlock." 

Bills scheduled for a public hearing

Public hearings are livestreamed and archived here on the Legislature's Website. Testimony will be accepted in-person, via Zoom or in writing. Committee meeting guidance for public/interested parties can be found here.

To sign up to testify via Zoom or submit written testimony, click here.

LD 2118 - "An Act To Eliminate The Natural Areas Program And Reassign Certain Responsibilities Under The Program To The Department Of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife And To Amend The Law Governing Administration Of The Department Of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife, Bureau Of Resource Management"

Public Hearing in ACF on Tuesday January 27, 2026 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 214

MFPC Position: Support

This bill repeals the laws governing the Natural Areas Program administered by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and reassigns certain responsibilities under the program to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The bill updates relevant definitions in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12 and cross references in Titles 36 and 38 to reflect these changes. The bill also reestablishes the Natural Areas Conservation Fund, which is administered by the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

______________________________________________________________

LD 2018 - "An Act To Amend The Requirements Governing Self-insurance Plans In The Paid Family And Medical Leave Benefits Program"

Public Hearing in LAH on Tuesday January 27, 2026 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 202

MFPC Position: Oppose

This bill clarifies that for a private plan in the form of self-insurance, the pooling of risk, financial resources or administration among multiple employers is prohibited under the paid family and medical leave benefits program. It also provides that this provision applies retroactively to April 1, 2025.

______________________________________________________________

LD 2144 - "Resolve, To Establish The Working Group To Prioritize Wellness And Mental Health Resources For Heritage Industries"

Public Hearing in HHS on Wednesday January 28, 2026 @ 1:00 PM in Cross Building, Room 209

MFPC Position: Support

This resolve creates the Working Group to Prioritize Wellness and Mental Health Resources for Heritage Industries, which is directed to review existing mental health and wellness resources available to individuals in Maine's heritage industries, identify gaps in the provision of services and barriers to accessing existing resources, examine successful models from other states and jurisdictions, develop recommendations for establishing sustainable funding mechanisms and service delivery models and explore opportunities for public education to reduce stigma around mental health issues and increase awareness of mental health services. The resolve requires the working group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters, marine resources matters and health and human services matters by December 1, 2026 and authorizes the joint standing committees to each submit legislation to the 133rd Legislature in 2027.

______________________________________________________________

Bills scheduled for a work session

Work Sessions are livestreamed and archived here on the Legislature's Website.

LD 19 - "An Act To Change The Definition Of "oversized Atv" In The Laws Governing The Registration Of All-terrain Vehicles"

Work Session in IFW on Monday January 26, 2026 @ 1:30 PM in Cross Building, Room 206

MFPC Position: Opposed

Sponsored by Senator Moore, LD 19 would increase the minimum weight of an oversized all-terrain vehicle from 2,000 to 2,500 lbs. MFPC is opposed because this bill runs counter to recommendations from the ATV Task Force.

______________________________________________________________

LD 1870 - "An Act To Establish A Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program To Impose Penalties On Climate Polluters"

Work Session in ENR on Wednesday January 28, 2026 @ 10:30 AM in Cross Building, Room 216

MFPC Position: Opposed

This bill establishes the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program within the Department of Environmental Protection. Under the program, an entity or a successor in interest to an entity that was engaged in the trade or business of extracting fossil fuel or refining crude oil between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2024 is assessed a cost recovery demand for the entity's share of fossil fuel extraction or refinement contributing to greenhouse gas-related costs in the State. An entity is assessed a cost recovery demand only if the department determines that the entity's products were responsible for more than one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Cost recovery payments received by the department are deposited into the Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program Fund to provide funding for recovery of the costs to develop and implement the program and fund and for climate change adaptation projects in the State, which the department is directed to prioritize through the adoption of a resilience implementation strategy and to ensure that at least 35% of the funds are used for climate change adaptation projects that benefit low-income persons with environmental justice concerns.