Growing up in Western Maine — where our livelihoods depended on the papermills in Rumford and Jay and the forest products industry, where many of my classmates went to work in the woods immediately after high school — I’m keenly aware of the vital role that our forest product industry plays in our state’s economy.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

Our forest products industry is one of the cornerstones of our state’s economy and it’s the lifeblood of rural communities across Maine, employing tens of thousands of hardworking folks who make their living from our forests, just like generations before them did.

Like so much of our economy, the loggers, the haulers, the saw mill operators, the biomass owners, the lumber mills and manufacturers in our forest products sector need support to recover from the economic downturn from the pandemic. I want to make sure that the forest products industry and the jobs it provides remains strong for generations to come.

That’s why, to support Maine’s forest products industry and the people it employs, my Administration, through my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, have created the Forest Recovery Initiative and we’ve put $20 million from the American Rescue Plan behind this initiative. 

This week, I announced that we are awarding the first $6 million of these funds in grants to more than 200 Maine forestry-related companies.

Of the 224 companies which we awarded grants to, 83 percent have ten employees or fewer, and 80 percent of them are located in Aroostook, Penobscot, Somerset, Oxford, or Piscataquis counties. 

These grants of an average of $27,000 each, will provide direct funding to the forest products businesses to cover payroll and other expenses like rent or a mortgage, equipment, inventory, or utilities, like electric bills. 

For example, one of the companies that received a grant from my Administration is the Maine Woods Company in Portage, Maine – their manager says that these funds will help them install cutting edge technology to control costs while delivering an even better Maine-made product to the world.

Another example is Wells Wood Turning & Finishing in Buckfield — their president said that these funds will allow them to increase output by reducing repetitive tasks, which supports their hardworking employees.

I am very pleased that these grants are delivering much-needed support to businesses in the forestry sector at a critical time, especially with inflation and the high cost of products and electricity right now, but I know that we have to do more. 

I am working with the Maine Technology Institute to start another round of grants later this spring. This next round of grants will support forward-looking forest projects that meet changing market demands, making our forestry products industry stronger and more sustainable. 

The forest products industry is a critical part of our state’s economy and our cultural identity. My Administration is committed to sustaining this vital sector and the rural Maine communities who rely on the vital businesses and jobs it creates.

To learn more about my Forest Recovery Initiative and other support for Maine’s small businesses under my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, please visit maine.gov/jobsplan.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

My father served bravely during World War II in the Pacific Theater. My uncles did too. My father survived the biggest naval battle of World War II history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf. My brother served three tours of duty in Vietnam.

I deeply appreciate the service and the sacrifice of all Maine veterans and their loved ones. Our state has always contributed more than our share to the military, to the armed services during periods of combat and other times. My Administration has been working hard to improve services for veterans across Maine. I am deeply concerned about the planned closures of the Veterans’ Homes in Caribou and Machias.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

I was informed last month by the Board of Trustees of the Maine Veterans’ Homes that it had voted to close these veterans’ homes in Caribou and Machias because of a projected decrease in the number of veterans served there in the coming years and, like much of the state and nation, a shortage of qualified staff.

While I recognize the challenges these homes are confronting, as are many other nursing homes, the drastic move to close these veterans’ homes will displace more than 70 veterans and spouses, some widows, and will result in the loss of jobs for the people who care for them.

These closures would also significantly reduce the footprint of veterans’ homes across Maine, they would leave no facilities Downeast, none north of Bangor, and they would diminish the long-term care options for veterans in rural Maine. The impact of these closures on our veterans, their families, the employees, and the regions that they serve as a whole cannot be overstated.

That’s why I wrote immediately to the Board of Trustees as soon as I learned of that vote. I wrote to express my deep concerns and urge them to reconsider their decision and to inform them that I have instructed my Administration to help them consider any and all potential options other than closure.

This week, I met with the Maine Veterans’ Homes and I urged them again to postpone any closure for two years so that we can work together to chart another path forward – a path that will ensure that our veterans continue to receive the care they have earned and deserve in the communities they love near the families they are close to.  

I appreciate the Maine Congressional Delegation’s support for our approach — they too were taken by surprise by this vote to close the homes — as well as Senate President Troy Jackson, who’s bill, in part, would authorize a financial boost to keep these particular Veterans’ Homes open. That bill had a public hearing before a Legislative committee this week with significant support and the bill continues to move through the legislative process.

Here’s the bottom-line: I want these homes to remain where they are and remain open. The veterans who live there, their families, their spouses, and the staff all deserve it. Our promise to veterans is that we will stand by them, just as they stood for us in their service to our state and our nation – these homes are a small step towards fulfilling that promise.

My Administration continues to work with the Board of Trustees of the Maine Veterans’ Homes, with Senator Jackson and others, to explore all options to allow veterans to remain where they are before resorting to any closure. I do not want their lives and safety and health to be disrupted by this drastic move.  And, I have instructed my Department of Health and Human Services to identify and provide sufficient funding to tide them over so that we can work on a long-term plan. In exchange for which I’ve asked Maine Veterans’ Homes to reconvene and reconsider their decision to close these two homes.

We can never fully express our gratitude for the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their loved ones, but we can make sure that they receive continued, uninterrupted care in the communities they call home.

This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.