SAWMILL Act

The SAWMILL Act would create the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEGLP) within the Department of Agriculture. The program would guarantee loans to rural sawmills and other wood-processing facilities to establish, reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve operations located within 250 miles of federally owned lands identified as high priorities for ecological restoration that involves removing vegetation. The goal is to help finance facilities that would lower the cost of restoration projects on eligible federal land, while supporting timber production in rural areas. The program would coordinate with the Department of the Interior, identify eligible lands on a set schedule, and place a total cap of $220 million on loan guarantees.