Collins, King Call on Commerce Department to Spearhead Economic Development Efforts in Rural Maine
Statement
Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King called on the U.S. Department of Commerce to take immediate action to bolster Maine's forest-based economy in the wake of several mill closures that have left communities in rural Maine in the midst of an economic crisis.
In a letter to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, Senators Collins and King urged the Commerce Department to establish and lead an integrated, multi-agency Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) focused on Maine's forest based economy that would leverage the power of multiple federal government agencies and harness stakeholder input to create economic development strategies that would help pave the way for job growth for rural Maine communities in the years to come. Maine is home to vast forest and natural resources and a skilled workforce that has harvested, hauled, and processed wood from Maine's forests for generations. The Senators' letter comes at a time when the downturn of the pulp and paper industry in Maine has led to the loss of thousands of forest and manufacturing jobs, creating an economic crisis that requires urgent action.
"In response to the severity of the challenges facing Maine's forest economy, we urge the Commerce Department to form an Economic Development Assessment Team with active on the ground involvement of multiple, relevant federal agencies This collaboration should bring together local, state, and federal stakeholders, all working together to identify existing assets and new resources to perform a gap analysis, to develop strategies that support economic development, and to increase economic diversification," Senators Collins and King wrote to Secretary Pritzker. "Our hope is that this effort will set the stage for the affected regions in the state to shape their own economic future by strengthening existing assets and support new innovation and ideas that create jobs and support our rural communities."
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