Fueling our future: Why the Hoquiam pellet mill is a win for Grays Harbor

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 18, 2026

For decades, the timber industry has been the foundation of the Grays Harbor economy. People can lose sight of — even take for granted — an industry that has built our community and continues to support our local economy. Today, our community is at a pivotal crossroads, and we are being crushed on multiple sides by over regulation and opposition to clearly beneficial projects.

The proposed Hoquiam pellet mill is a project that represents the perfect combination of modern innovation and traditional stewardship to create renewable energy and jobs. Our organization, like many of you, believe that this mill is not just an industrial project; it is a vital organ in the future of our working forests.

The benefits of this mill extend beyond the forest by supporting 50 local jobs.

It creates value for material that is currently left to rot or burn in slash piles on the forest floor. By converting this unused wood fiber into renewable fuel pellets, we are participating in the global transition to greener energy while solving a local challenge with wildfire fuels in the forest. When we create a market for thinning, we create more resilient, fire-resistant forests. This is an economic and environmental win.

In forestry, “small diameter” trees are often a liability. These trees, along with dead and dying wood, crowd the forest, increase wildfire risk, and are expensive to remove. By creating a consistent market for this low-value wood, the Hoquiam mill provides the financial engine necessary to fund critical forest health treatments. This mill will pull material from throughout the peninsula, Quinault Indian Nation forests, and southwestern Washington, ensuring that the economic and environmental benefits of our natural resources stay right here at home.

Unfortunately, we are seeing a familiar pattern of opposition. The same voices pushing to stop this mill are often those who supported the over regulation of seasonal streams. These are waterways that were already protected under existing law. These redundant regulations don’t just “save fish;” they have real-world consequences for trust lands and taxpayers that rely on them.

Local municipalities have their own forest land that supplements important services like libraries, hospitals, and ports. These forests stand to lose millions of dollars from their trusts due to over regulation that takes value away from citizens without compensation. Now apply those same regulations to private forestlands and cities lose the essential excise taxes that fund schools, roads, and emergency services.

We cannot afford to let ideology stand in the way of common-sense progress. Whether it is the pellet mill or over-regulating our renewable forests, we need to move forward.

It is time to support an industry that supports us.