King Urges Federal Government to Use Maine Mass Timber for Federal Construction Projects

November 17, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C.– U.S. Senator Angus King, co-chair of theSenate Working Forest Caucus, is calling for the utilization of mass timber in federal building projects. In a letter to the Government Services Agency (GSA), King and a number of his colleagues questioned the agency about its process on integrating mass timber into the federal procurement process and using low-carbon building materials in the construction and renovation of federal buildings.
The Senators also highlighted the opportunity mass timber products present in creating rural jobs, reducing wildfire risk, increasing forest resiliency and reducing the carbon footprint of federal buildings.  Nationally, the forest products industry employs roughly 925,000 people directly and supports nearly 2 million jobs indirectly. In Maine, the industrysupports nearly 14,000 jobsacross the state.
“By incorporating more mass timber products into federal buildings, the GSA has a unique and historic opportunity to help reduce the carbon footprint of federal buildings, all while reducing waste and construction costs and increasing seismic and fire resiliency,”wrote the Senators.
“Since 2015, mass timber has seen unprecedented growth in its use across the United States — from just a handful of buildings 8 years ago to almost 2,000 today. Further, the mass timber industry offers Americans access to good paying forestry jobs,”they continued.
The letter was also signed by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King has been a national leader in efforts to support Maine’s forest products industry. This past April, alongside Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and the Working Forests Caucus, Senator King introduced a resolution to recognize the 151stArbor Day. He also introduced the bipartisanFuture Logging Careers Actto help train the next generation of Maine loggers.Most recently, Senator King introduced thebipartisanTimber Innovation Act for Building Rural Communities Actto improve forest health and support Maine’s rural economy, as well as theJobs in the Woods Actto improve forest industry improvement. He also introducedlegislationto establish a “Future of Forests” panel tasked with making recommendations to secure the health of America’s forests. Senator King was also key in establishingthe Forest Opportunity Roadmap Maine (FOR/ME) Initiative, a participant-led initiative that is helping to diversify the state’s wood products businesses, attract investments, support research and development, and develop greater economic prosperity for rural communities impacted by mill closures.
Full text of the letter can be found below orhere.
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Dear Commissioner Doomes,
We write to urge you to increase the utilization of mass timber in federal building projects. Mass timber products represent an opportunity to both create rural jobs, reduce wildfire risk, and increase forest resiliency, while also reducing the carbon footprint of federal buildings.
As you know, the impact of the federal procurement process is significant – with the GSA Green Building Advisory Committee reporting that federal funding supported the construction of over 253 million square feet of buildings, representing more than $11 billion in value. By incorporating more mass timber products into federal buildings, the GSA has a unique and historic opportunity to help reduce the carbon footprint of federal buildings, all while reducing waste and construction costs and increasing seismic and fire resiliency.
Since 2015, mass timber has seen unprecedented growth in its use across the United States – from just a handful of buildings 8 years ago to almost 2,000 today. Further, the mass timber industry offers Americans access to good paying forestry jobs. In fact, in Oregon, employment in this sector has grown six times faster than it has in the rest of the United States over the past decade.1
Given the numerous benefits of American-made mass timber and wood innovation products, please provide answers to the following:
We applaud the initial steps that GSA has taken to identify ways to increase the sustainability of the building materials used in the construction of federal buildings and increase the use of mass timber. We look forward to hearing your response to my questions and continuing to work with you to promote the use of mass timber in the public procurement process.
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