Sen. King mentions UMaine in Mainebiz interview focused on energy, economy

U.S. Sen. Angus King mentioned the University of Maine during an interview with Mainebiz that focused on energy. King also shared his thoughts on strengthening the state’s economy by expanding broadband in rural areas and finding new uses for forest products. In response to a question about the shutdown of many paper mills, King said he sponsored a program called the Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) that brought seven agencies form the federal government together to help the state revitalize the forest economy by finding new uses for forest products. As examples, he cited cross-laminated timber and using fiber-based material as the feedstock for 3-D printing. “That’s something the University of Maine is working on with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and that grew directly out of the EDAT process,” he said. “We need to strengthen and support the paper industry that we have, but we also need to think about what is the industry in the future based upon this enormous fiber resource that we have.”