Sen. Baucus goes to work in Kalispell sawmill

(Washington) – Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus will spend the day decking, edging, trimming and planing logs alongside the crew at Plum Creek’s newly re-opened Evergreen stud mill on May 1.

Baucus, who has long fought for Montana’s timber industry, says it will be an honor to work with the crew at the sawmill and hear firsthand what issues most concern them.

“Montana jobs rely on our forest products industry and I’m doing all I can to help them compete and succeed in the world economy,” said Baucus, who has completed 93 of his signature “Work Days” in various jobs across Montana. “Seeing the stud mill in Evergreen back in business is an important step toward breathing new life into our timber industry and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”

Baucus successfully fought to reauthorize the U.S. Trade Adjustment Assistance program which provided job training opportunities to employees who were out of work when the mill downsized in June 2009. April 1st, the company announced it would reopen the mill and hire 30 people. Plum Creek practices sustainable forestry on all of its 897,000 acres of land in western Montana.

Additional background: Max's Workdays

Over the last two decades, Baucus has spent work days in various roles including working road construction, driving an 18-wheeler and working shoulder-to-shoulder with firefighters. Baucus, named by his peers as one of the hardest working members of Congress, says the work days give him the opportunity to lend a hand and better connect with folks across the state.