…Something to Think About

Bill Jones – Assistant Director, Southern Loggers Cooperative

While attending the American Loggers Council Spring Board meeting in 2004 and after a long day of congressional visits and long walks to the Russell Senate building, ALC leaders recognized that help from the nation’s capitol might be slow in coming to the rescue for a challenged timber harvesting industry.

After observing some of the well established organizations such as the United Electrical Workers and the American Cattlemen Association strategizing and working their agendas on the hill, I realized that we, the loggers, were relatively new to this arena and that it might take some time to make meaningful gains for the industry with our policy makers.

But to a small group of Louisiana loggers, another thought emerged from a long day of meetings and door knocking. The idea of a purchasing group or a cooperative that could provide more immediate financial relief came out of those discussions and the Louisiana loggers went home and acted on starting a Loggers Cooperative.

Back home in Louisiana the idea started with a conversation with the members of the Louisiana Loggers Council and continued until the kitchen table of Clyde and Mary Todd became the first office for the Southern Loggers Cooperative and the Winnfield Fueling station became the start up location for the Cooperative for fuel distribution. The cooperative was formed under the provisions of Louisiana revised statute 3.71 and is owned by its members with nine original members providing the origination monies and the Articles of Association were signed by Fox McKeithen, Secretary of State, on October 15, 2004.

From the very start, the growth of the Southern Loggers Cooperative has been consistent in adding two to three fuel stations each year while negotiating annual fuel contracts to serve a growing membership that currently exceeds 1100 agriculture and forestry members.

In 2008 tires were added to the product lines and now SLC offers savings on several brands of  tires, including retread tires.

In 2010 the office was moved from rented office space to a newly renovated office purchased and located in Pineville, LA.  SLC now has a staff of five full time employees and one part time employee to provide member services and provide daily maintenance.

Currently, sixteen fuel stations are in operation from Texas to Virginia with average daily transactions between 700 and 800 fuel purchases of 60,000 to 70,000 gallons of fuel daily.   Two new fuel stations in Chillicothe, OH and Georgetown, SC are in the works, and sites have been leased or purchased for both locations and construction is scheduled to begin in early 2012.

With leadership from the logging, trucking and timber industry, the Southern Loggers Cooperative continues the mission of serving its members with savings on consumable products that we use every day.  According to Executive Director Clyde Todd, our mission is “cutting the cost of doing business for the agricultural, logging and timber businesses.” Under the guidance of SLC President Dave Cupp of Walsh Timber Co., patronage dividends to SLC members in 2009 and 2010 exceeded one million dollars.

The idea raised by Louisiana loggers during the American Loggers Council meeting in 2004 about the potential buying power of loggers has been acted on yet we have just started to scratch the surface of cost cutting opportunities.  Together loggers and all members have come together to leverage buying power through the Southern Loggers Cooperative and we continue to look for ways to bring those savings to your area.

From a logger’s perspective, Washington D. C. oftentimes appears to be a ten square mile zone of confusion and an often non navigable swamp of public policy.  The most important issues of transportation laws and regulations, new and developing markets, public timber availability, forest certification, and clean water must be addressed by leaders of the logging industry and the American Loggers Council continues to serve to meet that challenge.

While it is highly important that we remain focused on federal policies that impact all of our operations, the importance of communications and ideas that can be taken back to your state or regional association proves to be a valuable tool as well.  If you are not engaged with your State Association or the American Loggers Council, we encourage you to do so.  Working together, we can all make a difference.  Now that’s something to think about!

The Southern Loggers Cooperative mission is to reduce the costs of supplies for the membership, enhance the common interest of the forest industry, and insure the integrity of the membership and all associates remain constant an positive.  Their offices are located in Pineville, Louisiana.  For more information, visit their website at www.southernloggers.com or contact Clyde Todd at 318-445-0750.

The American Loggers Council is a non-profit 501(c)(6) corporation representing professional timber harvesters in 30 states across the US.  For more information, visit their web site at www.americanloggers.org or contact their office at 409-625-0206.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Many Maine employers will see a slight increase in the taxes they pay to fund the state’s unemployment system come January. But even a small increase has employers upset, although not surprised…

[snip] The amount of the increase ranges from $2.40 per year per worker to $18 per worker for the year. Employers pay the tax on the first $12,000 in wages they pay for each worker. The unemployment system in Maine is entirely funded by employers…

Read full story on BangorDailyNews.com

The November Department of Conservation Newsletter From the Field has been published.

CLICK HERE to read it

President’s signature follows Congressional approval of Senator Collins’ provision to allow heavier trucks to use Maine’s federal interstates for at least 20 years

Senator Susan Collins

WASHINGTON, D.C.-President Obama, this morning, signed the Fiscal Year 2012 Transportation funding bill that includes a provision, written by Senator Susan Collins, that will allow the heaviest trucks to travel on federal interstates in Maine for 20 years instead of forcing them off the highways and onto Maine’s secondary roads and downtown streets.

While the Senate originally approved Senator Collins’ provision to make this change permanent, the House never approved a similar provision.  As the top Republican on the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and a member of the conference committee charged with working out the differences between the two bills, Senator Collins successfully negotiated this 20-year compromise agreement.

Senator Collins has led the effort to allow trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates -including I-95, 195, 295, and 395.  Senator Collins has worked closely with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), also a member of the Transportation Subcommittee, and this agreement for Maine is paired with a similar change for Vermont.

“This is a major accomplishment and I am delighted to have successfully negotiated this agreement.  Moving these trucks from our downtown streets and onto the federal interstates where they belong has always been one of my top transportation priorities,” said Senator Collins.  “The agreement that I negotiated to allow the heaviest trucks on the highway for the next 20 years will help shippers, truckers, and Maine’s job creators.  More important, it will improve safety for Mainers who live, work, and go to school along the secondary roads, and busy downtowns where these trucks are currently forced to travel.

“I appreciate the strong support I received from so many public safety groups, including the Maine State Police, the Maine Department of Public Safety, and the Bangor Police Department, as well as education and industry groups like the Maine Motor Transport Association.  Together, we were able to achieve a major victory that will make a real difference to many Mainers and our economy,” Senator Collins continued.

Senator Collins’ effort is supported by the Association of Police, the Maine State Police, the State Troopers Association, the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Chiefs of Police, the Maine Motor Transport Association, the Parent Teacher Association, and the Bangor School Department, who have all expressed the importance of safety in getting these heaviest trucks off our local roadways and onto the interstates where they belong.

Currently, the heaviest trucks in Maine are diverted onto secondary roadways that cut through our downtowns on narrow streets, creating a major safety concern.  In most of the surrounding New England states and nearby Canadian provinces, the heaviest trucks are free to use the interstates, but not in Maine and Vermont.  This puts Maine businesses at a distinct competitive disadvantage.  Heavy trucks already operate on some 22,500 miles of non-interstate roads in Maine, in addition to the approximately 109 miles of the Maine Turnpike.  But the nearly 260 miles of non-Turnpike interstates that are major economic corridors are off limits.

In 2009, a pilot project that Senator Collins wrote, was included in the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill.  This one-year pilot project allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates.  According to the Maine Department of Transportation, during the one-year period covered by the pilot, the number of crashes involving trucks on Maine’s local roads was reduced by 72 compared to a five-year average.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

The U.S. Senate, tonight, approved the Fiscal Year 2012 Transportation funding bill that includes a provision, written by Senator Susan Collins, that will allow the heaviest trucks to travel on federal interstates in Maine for 20 years instead of forcing them off the highways and onto Maine’s secondary roads and downtown streets.

Click Here to View Senator Collins’ statement following passage of the legislation.

While the Senate originally approved Senator Collins’ provision to make this change permanent, the House never approved a similar provision.  As the top Republican on the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and a member of the conference committee charged with working out the differences between the two bills, Senator Collins successfully negotiated this 20-year compromise agreement. This bill will now be signed by the President.

Senator Collins has led the effort to allow trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates –including I-95, 195, 295, and 395.  Senator Collins has worked closely with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), also a member of the Transportation Subcommittee, and this agreement for Maine is paired with a similar change for Vermont.

“This is a major accomplishment and I am delighted to have successfully negotiated this agreement.  Moving these trucks from our downtown streets and onto the federal interstates where they belong has always been one of my top transportation priorities,” said Senator Collins.  “The agreement that I negotiated to allow the heaviest trucks on the highway for the next 20 years will help shippers, truckers, and Maine’s job creators.  More important, it will improve safety for Mainers who live, work, and go to school along the secondary roads, and busy downtowns where these trucks are currently forced to travel.

“I appreciate the strong support I received from so many public safety groups, including the Maine State Police, the Maine Department of Public Safety, and the Bangor Police Department, as well as education and industry groups like the Maine Motor Transport Association.  Together, we were able to achieve a major victory that will make a real difference to many Mainers and our economy,” Senator Collins continued.

Senator Collins’ effort is supported by the Association of Police, the Maine State Police, the State Troopers Association, the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Chiefs of Police, the Maine Motor Transport Association, the Parent Teacher Association, and the Bangor School Department, who have all expressed the importance of safety in getting these heaviest trucks off our local roadways and onto the interstates where they belong.

Currently, the heaviest trucks in Maine are diverted onto secondary roadways that cut through our downtowns on narrow streets, creating a major safety concern.  In most of the surrounding New England states and nearby Canadian provinces, the heaviest trucks are free to use the interstates, but not in Maine and Vermont.  This puts Maine businesses at a distinct competitive disadvantage.  Heavy trucks already operate on some 22,500 miles of non-interstate roads in Maine, in addition to the approximately 109 miles of the Maine Turnpike.  But the nearly 260 miles of non-Turnpike interstates that are major economic corridors are off limits.

In 2009, a pilot project that Senator Collins wrote, was included in the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill.  This one-year pilot project allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates.  According to the Maine Department of Transportation, during the one-year period covered by the pilot, the number of crashes involving trucks on Maine’s local roads was reduced by 72 compared to a five-year average.

Today, the House passed a provision that would allow heavier trucks on the Maine Interstate. Passage by the Senate, which is expected later today or tomorrow, will clear the bill for the President’s signature.

Congressman Michaud spoke in favor of the provision on the House floor.  Click Here to watch Congressman Michaud’s remarks

The provision was included as part of a conference report on a measure that funds the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the space program. The bill also contains a Continuing Resolution, which will fund the government until December 16, 2011.

Congressman Mike Michaud’s top priority was making sure that a fix for Maine’s truck weight problem was contained in the bill, and he worked with Democratic and Republican leaders in the House to make sure that the provision survived. Senator Collins worked to ensure that the provision was included in the original Senate bill to provide funding for transportation programs. Additionally, Senator Snowe and Congresswoman Pingree have been strong supporters of making this change.

“Mainers already know the benefits of this commonsense provision,” said Michaud. “Letting heavier trucks use the Interstate reduces fuel consumption, cuts emissions, reduces travel times and reduces the competitive disadvantage between Maine and our neighbors. I would like to thank House leaders for supporting my efforts to ensure that this provision was included in the final bill.”

Michaud is continuing to push forward with a bill he authored that will give Maine and other states the authority to make these changes. Michaud’s bill, the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act, currently has 57 bipartisan cosponsors and has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID).

By Michael Beardsley, Special to the BDN

Despite the rhetoric from Roxanne Quimby and other park supporters about jobs, when you look at the facts, a national park is a bad idea for Maine, it is certainly no gift.

As good stewards of the forest, our loggers have looked at Quimby’s plan and can read between the lines. This agenda is about federal control. When taking this position our loggers do not have to rely on “what if” or “what may be” or even Ms. Quimby’s stated intent with regard to a national park. They look at history, that’s right history, the facts of what has happened out West and in Ohio…

Read full column on BangorDailyNews.com

By Clarke Canfield, The Associated Press

PORTLAND — When Brian Souers’ trucks haul logs from northern Maine to mills in other parts of the state, they often drive through small towns on two-lane state highways, even when four-lane Interstate 95 is nearby…

Read Full Story on Portland Press Herald.com

Senator Collins convinces House-Senate negotiators to approve plan to allow heavier trucks to use Maine’s federal interstates for at least 20 years

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, has successfully negotiated an agreement that would allow the heaviest trucks to travel on federal interstates in Maine for at least 20 years instead of forcing them off the highways and onto Maine’s secondary roads and downtown streets.

While the Senate originally approved Senator Collins’ provision to make this change permanent, the House never approved a similar provision.  As a member of the committee charged with working out the differences between the two bills, Senator Collins successfully negotiated this 20-year compromise agreement. Final votes in the House and Senate are expected next week.  The bill would then be sent to the President for his signature.

Senator Collins has led the effort to allow trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates –including I-95, 195, 295, and 395.  Senator Collins has worked closely with Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), also a member of the Transportation Subcommittee, and this agreement for Maine is paired with a similar change for Vermont.

“We faced significant opposition to our plan to permanently allow the heaviest trucks to drive on our federal interstates in Maine and Vermont,” said Senator Collins.  “But moving these trucks from our downtown streets and onto the federal interstates where they belong has always been one of my top transportation priorities.  The agreement that I negotiated to allow the heaviest trucks on the highway for at least the next 20 years is a major accomplishment that will help shippers, truckers, and Maine’s job creators.  More important, it will improve safety for Mainers who live, work, and go to school along the secondary roads, and busy downtowns where these trucks are currently forced to travel.”

Senator Collins’ effort is supported by the Association of Police, the Maine State Police, the State Troopers Association, the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Chiefs of Police, the Maine Motor Transport Association, the Parent Teacher Association, and the Bangor School Department, who have all expressed the importance of safety in getting these heaviest trucks off our local roadways and onto the interstates where they belong.

Currently, the heaviest trucks in Maine are diverted onto secondary roadways that cut through our downtowns on narrow streets, creating a major safety concern.  In most of the surrounding New England states and nearby Canadian provinces, the heaviest trucks are free to use the interstates, but not in Maine and Vermont.  This puts Maine businesses at a distinct competitive disadvantage.  Heavy trucks already operate on some 22,500 miles of non-interstate roads in Maine, in addition to the approximately 167 miles of the Maine Turnpike.  But the nearly 260 miles of non-Turnpike interstates that are major economic corridors are off limits.

In 2009, a pilot project that Senator Collins wrote, was included in the 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill.  This one-year pilot project allowed trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds to travel on Maine’s federal interstates.  According to the Maine Department of Transportation, during the one-year period covered by the pilot, the number of crashes involving trucks on Maine’s local roads was reduced by 72 compared to a five-year average.

By Steve Sherich – President, American Loggers Council

Over the years, the federal timber sale program has continued to decline while our federal government has racked up its highest debt in history.  In 1986, the US Forest Service harvested 11.786 billion board feet of timber across the US, compared to 2.138 billion board feet in 2010 (USDA Forest Service, 1905-2010 National Summary Cut and sold Data).

As most are aware, when a piece of property is federally owned, it is exempt from paying county and school taxes.  In lieu of paying those taxes, the government has always paid a percentage of the money generated from the timber sale program to the counties for use by the county for activities such as road maintenance and school funding.

In 2000, Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act to continue the funding for the counties and the schools despite the downturn in the federal timber sale program. The Act was extended in 2005 and is set to expire this year.  The Act itself was never intended to be a permanent welfare, or entitlement program for the counties and schools, but was to serve as a stop gap while the federal government took the necessary steps to boost the federal timber sale program or the counties made the adjustments necessary to absorb the loss in revenue.

There is currently an effort underway in Congress to once again extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act to prop up the counties and schools while these transitions are being made, and once again, it has become a needed piece of legislation because both Congress and the Counties have failed to make any adjustments.  After eleven years of feeding at the government trough, there are a host of county administrators that know of no other way to increase revenues other than taking the check from the federal government, not realizing that the timber growing within their view on federal land used to generate those funds, as well as keep the unemployment rates in their communities low.

The question is, do we continue to support a government entitlement program for our counties and schools, or should we support job creation through the utilization of our forests which will lead to economic growth and prosperity across all of rural America?

A proposal has been made in Idaho and other states that have significant federal lands within their counties to start a Community Forest Trust pilot project.  The project will provide a pathway to the counties to successfully transition away from federal transfer payments under the Secure Rural Schools Act.  Environmental law applicable to state forest trust lands will apply to these projects and it might help to cut through some of the red tape that has hindered US Forest Service timber sale projects.  Should the program prove to be successful, it might be the model that helps us to improve revenues from federal timber sales across the country.

The American Loggers Council is working to try and help restore lost jobs in rural America, in particular in our nation’s forests.  By promoting the sustainable use of fiber that could be produced from the forests for solid wood, pulp chemical, and energy  production, our hope is to create an environment where we can enhance the quality of life that is disappearing from so many of our rural communities.

There used to be a time when the United States could boast about the productivity of our workforce and the manufacturing capabilities that helped to create the strength and wealth of this nation.  At a time when our government is looking for ways to create jobs, we should be thinking of opportunities to put people back to work on our federal lands, sustainably extracting the renewable resources that helped to build our economy over the past century.

Steve Sherich is the President of the American Loggers Council, which represents logging professionals in 30 States.  Steve’s logging operation is based in Hayden Lake, Idaho.  For more information please contact the American Loggers Council at 409-625-0206 or e-mail at americanlogger@aol.com.