From Congressman Kilmer blog; Modeling Good Behavior in the Pacific Northwest

Too often Congress – and our political scene in general – looks like a clip from the World Wrestling Federation. Lately, we’ve seen far too many insults and jabs (though thankfully, we’ve mostly avoided actual body slams). But even the biggest Hulkamaniac has got to feel the need for greater civility. For more progress. For the voices of the American people to be listened to in our political process.
Having said that, despite the smackdown that we see on TV every day, I’ve got some good news.  Having traveled from pillar to post in our region this August, I’m reminded that there are a lot of cool things happening locally. It’s a reminder that we have many significant challenges as a nation but there are people hard at work every day that have put their heads down and are working toward progress.
Read on for a few examples from the last two weeks.
Developing Timber 2.0
As many of you know, recently I was proud to introduce a bill – supported by Democrats and Republicans – that would encourage the use of innovative timber products. Earlier this month, I joined Senator Maria Cantwell in Shelton to discuss our bill and to tour the site of what will be Sierra Pacific’s new mill.
We spent time talking about the potential of these mass timber products – like cross-laminated timber (CLT). Cross-laminated timber gives us a chance to utilize an abundant and sustainable product native to Washington state that connects rural economies to greener urban growth.
Our legislation would take a lot of important steps forward. For example, it would establish a new wood innovation grant program to help rural communities, prioritizing projects that would utilize existing mill infrastructure in areas currently experiencing high unemployment. That could provide a boost to towns in our region who want to make sure our top export isn’t our young people.
During the roundtable, we heard from economic development and workforce development leaders who expressed their interest in pursuing opportunities in this developing arena. We heard from industry leaders who detailed the resources that they will need to open a CLT mill. We heard from local community leaders who are ready to roll out the red carpet and cut through the red tape. And the most inspiring part of the discussion: Everyone was committed to working together to move this effort forward.
ref/ http://kilmer.house.gov/news/newsletters/modeling-good-behavior-in-the-pacific-northwest