WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $4.2 million grant to the Clallam County Economic Development Council in Port Angeles to advance indigenous forestry industrial development in our region.

This grant will be matched with over $1 million in local funds thanks to the combined contributions from Clallam County government, Oregon State University, Port of Port Angeles, Clallam County EDC, Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC), Peninsula College, University of Washington’s Olympic Natural Resources Center, and the City of Forks.

As part of this program, the CRTC will continue their work on developing a mass timber housing solution for the Tribal housing market, using wood sourced from the Makah Tribe. The initiative will assess the feasibility of producing plywood and OSB panels that meet or exceed Washington state’s energy codes, with plans to transport these materials to the California building market.

Additionally, the project will test a publicly owned kiln to support three manufacturers in Port Angeles, creating jobs and boosting local production.

Clallam County’s EDC Executive Director Colleen McAleer told KONP in a statement that last summer’s closure of McKinley Mill in Port Angeles, and the corresponding loss of close to 500 jobs, allowed her agency to request funding from the EDA in late 2024.

McAleer said the outcomes of the initiative will include increased employment with good wages, particularly in Port Angeles and the distressed West End. She said, in part “This $5.27 million program over three years will support the vital work being carried out by our partners through RECOMPETE by ensuring there are high-wage job opportunities for our unemployed residents.”