Bipartisan bill aims to boost US mass timber production
Reps. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) filed H.R. 10852 on Oct. 19. Called the Mass Timber Growth and Innovation Act, it would give plants that make CLT, glulam and other mass timber a 10% federal investment tax credit and add a 20% tax credit for research on the material.
The bill adds mass timber factories to the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit in Section 48D of the tax code, which today covers semiconductor plants at 35%. Mass timber plants would get 10% on buildings, machinery and equipment, according to Thompson's office. The bill text, published by the Government Publishing Office, also moves the credit's construction-start deadline from the end of 2026 to the end of 2031.
The bill's list of mass timber covers CLT, glulam, nail-laminated timber, laminated hardwood veneer and laminated strand lumber, plus similar products the Treasury designates after consulting the Agriculture Department. The research credit would equal 20% of qualified spending on mass timber products and new products like them.
Salinas is the sponsor and Thompson, the House Agriculture Committee chairman, is the cosponsor. The bill went to the Ways and Means Committee the day it was filed, and the record shows no action since. Salinas said Oregon needs nearly 500,000 new homes over 20 years. Backers include the American Wood Council, Weyerhaeuser and the Oregon Forest Industries Council, Panels & Furniture Asia reported.
The industry's recent news is mixed. Timberlab produced its first panels at a new CLT plant in Oregon this month, while Stora Enso is shutting a Swedish CLT line because demand grew slower than the company expected, Lesprom Network reported.
Why it matters: More domestic CLT and glulam capacity could shorten lead times and ease prices on mid-rise wood jobs. For now it is a referred bill with no committee action, so don't price on it; watch whether Ways and Means takes it up.
Sources
- H.R. 10852 (IH) - Mass Timber Growth and Innovation ActGovInfo (U.S. Government Publishing Office), Oct 19
- Thompson, Salinas Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Lower Housing Costs and Support American Timber IndustryOffice of Rep. Glenn Thompson, Oct 22
- House bill would extend chip-plant tax credit to mass timber makersLesprom Network, Oct 22
- Bipartisan US bill proposes tax credits for mass timber manufacturing and researchPanels & Furniture Asia, Oct 26