SENATOR JACKSON’S BILL TO MAKE MAINE MILLS MORE COMPETITIVE GETS PUBLIC HEARING

AUGUSTA – Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson of Allagash introduced his bill to make paper mills in Maine more competitive before the Taxation Committee yesterday.

“This is a common sense bill aimed at increasing opportunity for American workers and using resources at our disposal in Maine,” said Senator Jackson.  “We need to help our friends and neighbors by making them a focal point and this is a step in the right direction.”

The bill would give a complete property tax exemption for land_– enrolled under the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law when the forest products from that land are processed at U.S. mills.  The bill is designed to incentivize lumber suppliers to provide products to domestic paper mills and to lower the costs of Maine lumber in order to compete with foreign producers.

“Advocating for loggers and workers in the paper industry have been issues that have always been close to home for me,” said Senator Jackson, a logger by trade. “This measure offers incentives for Mainers to provide resources to mills right here in our backyard.”

The Taxation Committee will hold a work session on the bill, LD 1649 “An Act To Make Maine Mills More Competitive by Encouraging the Processing of Forest Products at Mills in the United States” later in the session.

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