Shaheen Helps Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Create Disaster Relief Fund for Loggers

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), helped introduce the bipartisan, bicameral Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, led by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), which would establish a new program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support loggers who have lost income due to natural disasters. Current law excludes loggers from the kinds of disaster relief and assistance available to other industries, including fishermen and farmers, when natural disasters strike.

“The timber industry is an important economic driver and source of good-paying jobs in the most rural parts of New Hampshire, so when disaster strikes it’s critical that loggers receive the aid they need to get back up and running,” said Senator Shaheen. “The bipartisan legislation I helped introduce would make sure that loggers get much-needed relief in the wake of natural disasters.”

Specifically, the Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act makes timber harvesting and timber hauling businesses eligible for economic assistance following major disaster declarations. Under the bill, a disaster declaration from the president or governor would unlock federal assistance eligibility for logging businesses with at least a 10 percent loss in revenue or volume compared to the prior year. Covered damage would include high winds, fire, flooding, insect infestation and drought.

Shaheen has long advocated for the Granite State’s forest products industry, including securing federal investments. Shaheen recently introduced the Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act, bipartisan legislation that supports innovative and sustainable wood products and energy from biomass made from small-diameter timber left over from forest thinning projects, including projects that reduce the risk of wildfire. The Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act builds on Shaheen and Collins’ Community Wood Energy Innovation Act which was signed into law in the 2018 Farm Bill and expanded the Community Wood Energy Program to better incentivize investments in energy-efficient wood energy systems and facilities that repurpose low-grade, low-value wood that would otherwise be sent to landfills.

Shaheen recently visited DCI Furniture in Lisbon, a family-owned furniture manufacturing company that is using Community Wood Grant program funding to install a new combined heat and power system that uses wood waste for fuel.

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