Congress Approves $10 Million for UMaine Forest Biomaterials Innovation Center Secured by Senator Collins
The funding now heads to the President to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $10 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the University of Maine (UMaine) Forest Biomaterials Innovation Center in the Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. The bill, which was included in legislation that passed the Senate today, now heads to the President to be signed into law.
“The brilliant faculty and students at the University of Maine have made promising discoveries in a wide variety of fields, including forestry,” said Senator Collins. “As Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding, which will support the University's continued innovative work in Maine’s forest products industry.”
“Global demand for renewable and sustainable materials is at an all-time high, and Maine’s forests have the potential to support a $12 billion industry,” said UMaine Process Development Center Director Colleen Walker. “This federal funding will enable us to expand our Forest Biomaterials Innovation Center so that public and private sector researchers, including our Black Bear students, can work together to accelerate development and commercialization of these innovations. We are grateful for Senator Collins’ continued dedication to research and development to help all of us create forest-based solutions that will benefit our planet, utilize Maine’s skilled workforce and revitalize rural communities.”
This $10 million investment will help establish the UMaine Forest Biomaterials Innovation Center and support the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment for the demonstration of new technologies using wood fiber and residuals at pilot scale. Construction will include building a 10,000-square foot facility on the existing University of Maine Process Development Center, allowing access to pulp handling and process equipment to process these materials.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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