Bill > S2221

This bill establishes the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program, which aims to support sawmills and wood-processing facilities near federal lands that need ecological restoration. The program allows the Secretary of Agriculture to provide loan guarantees up to $220 million to eligible entities (individuals or businesses owning sawmills in rural areas) who want to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve wood-processing facilities within 250 miles of federal lands identified as high priority for ecological restoration. Every five years, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior will jointly review federal lands and identify areas requiring vegetation removal, with the goal of reducing restoration costs by supporting nearby wood-processing infrastructure. The loan guarantees are designed to help rural sawmill operators participate in forest management efforts while potentially creating economic opportunities in areas with significant federal forestlands. Eligible federal lands include various types of public lands, including Indian forest and rangeland, where ecological restoration is deemed necessary.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2221/all-info