Governor Janet T. Mills (D) With Scott Ogden, Communications Director at East End Community Schoolm Portland, on Election Day Last Month.
Governor Janet T. Mills (D) announced this morning that nineteen Maine forestry companies have been awarded grants totaling $14 million in the final round of the Forest Recovery Initiative of her Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan.
The $20 million Forest Recovery Initiative, announced by Governor Mills in November 2021, aims to support Maine’s forest products industry and the people it employs, create and sustain jobs in rural Maine and strengthn the states’ economy. In March, the first round of awards provided financial relief to 219 forest products industry businesses that experienced negative impacts from the pandemic to help them sustain the viability of their businesses according to a press release issued this morning from the Governor’s Augusta office.
Awards made through the second and final round of the program will support forward- looking industry projects that address new market demands, provide new sustainable products or otherwise advance the long-term stability of the forestry industry.
The Initiative is administered by Maine Technology Institute which accepted applications for the program in September and October 2022. Sixty-two applicataions were received prior to the deadline seeking $77 million in funding. Nineteen projects were awarded funding as stated previously herein. The awards span projects across ten Maine counties, from York to Aroostook and the $14 million dollars in funding will leverage more than $624 million in private sector matching funds, a 44:1 ratio of private to public funding.
“Maine’s forest products industry is not only a key part of our state’s heritage, but also a cornerstone of our economic future. These grant awards will help Maine forestry companies on the cutting edge compete on the world stage,” said Governor Mills. “My Administration will continue to work to ensure that our forest products sector remain’s strong for the years to come.
Five companies in southern Maine to be the recipients of these 19 grants are:
Robbins Lumber East Baldwin, LLC of Cumerland County, received $1,000,000; TRD Wood Energy LLC, of York County, received $600,000; Sappi North America, of Cumberland and Somerset Counties, received $1,000,000; Tanbark Molded Fiber Products, of York County received $500,000; and Standard Biocarbon Corporation of Cumberland and Penobscot Counties received a grant of $500,000.