Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) holds a press briefing on investments into Pennsylvania agriculture as Trump appears poised to proceed with sweeping tariffs on Wednesday.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon. Pleasure to have you all here and welcome to the beautiful windy
00:08Big Valley and Mifflin County and Metzler Forest Products. It's a great
00:15pleasure to welcome you all here today as we gather to celebrate innovation in
00:19the forest products and greater agricultural industries right here in
00:23Pennsylvania. We are honored to have with us Governor Josh Shapiro, Secretary of
00:29Agriculture Russell Redding, along with many other local elected officials and
00:34guests. Thank you all for joining us and showing your support of our industry and
00:38small business here in Pennsylvania. For those that may not be familiar with us,
00:44my name is Nate Metzler and I'm proud to represent Metzler Forest Products today.
00:49Our company was founded by my father Alan in 1986 as a single-person logging
00:56contractor with a commitment to professionalism and integrity. These
01:00principles coupled with an eye for innovation have always been the core of
01:04what we do and we are proud to continue that tradition with the support of the
01:08Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Ag Innovation Grant Program. This grant
01:13and the project it supports are a significant milestone for us and the
01:17forest products industry as a whole. I'd like to highlight that Metzler Forest
01:23Products is proud to employ over 80 dedicated individuals who are passionate
01:27about the work that they do. Our local community has always been important to
01:32us at Metzler Forest Products and the growth of our business has allowed us to
01:37support that community and offer family sustaining jobs and that we are proud of.
01:43With this grant we're going to take steps to increase our production of
01:47biochar, which we showed the governor and Secretary Redding today, create new
01:51product lines and improve our energy efficiency, allowing us to reduce waste
01:56and increase utilization of forest resources. We were proud to become one of
02:00the first commercial manufacturers of biochar in 2022 in the Mid-Atlantic
02:05region. So you might ask what is biochar? A biochar is a high fixed carbon product
02:11produced by heating organic material in an oxygen-free environment. In agriculture
02:17it improves soil fertility, boosts water retention and enhances nutrient
02:22availability. Our customers see healthier crops and better yields. In soil and
02:28stormwater applications it reduces nutrient runoff, binds toxins and heavy
02:33metals and helps keep our waterways clean here in Pennsylvania. This grant
02:39not only supports the growth of our business but also supports sustainable
02:42forest management practices and creates good-paying family sustaining jobs right
02:47here in Pennsylvania. As we look forward to the future we're excited about the
02:52possibilities ahead. We're thankful to Governor Shapiro and his
02:56administration for their support and the Ag Innovations Program, which is the
03:01first of its kind in the in the nation I believe. With their commitment to
03:06innovation in agriculture we can be confident that Pennsylvania will lead
03:10the way in both forest products and the greater agricultural industry as a whole.
03:14So once again we'd like to thank you for coming out. It's great to have you
03:20here to showcase what Metzler Forest Products and our industry is up to. Thank
03:25you Governor. Thank you Secretary Redding for your time and your interest and I'll
03:30turn it over to you Governor. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thanks Nate. I gotta
03:36say it is really cool to be here and Nate thank you for the lessons. Thanks
03:42for walking me around. It was great to meet your pop and your mom whose vision
03:47is just extraordinary. Great things are happening here in Mifflin County here in
03:53Pennsylvania because you had that vision back in the 80s and it was also really
03:57cool to meet your brothers. Very very special to have this family-owned
04:01company making such a huge difference here in Pennsylvania. So I just want to
04:06say thank you. I learned a lot and I've got a lot of notes that I'm taking back
04:12with me to continue to do this work we're doing to lift up the forestry
04:17industry and of course agriculture in general across Pennsylvania. I'm excited
04:23to see Nick Gilson again a beneficiary of Pennsylvania's Forests, CEO of Gilson
04:29Snow. They make incredible snowboards that I must confess I've never used on
04:34the snow but I do have it hanging up in my office and it is quite beautiful. I
04:39visited there back in 2023 so to see the work of the wood coming out of the
04:44forest here to a place like Metzler refined at a place like Gilson and then
04:49out being enjoyed in Pennsylvania, Canada and all across the world is really
04:54really special. So it's good to be with him. It's good to see Commissioner Kevin
04:59Kodish and other elected leaders who are here. Y'all are doing a really good job
05:03working together here in this community and I'm thankful for your leadership. I'm
05:08happy to be back in Reidsville to visit one of our premier forest products
05:13companies and the team here at Metzler I gotta say really does it all from
05:19clearing land for new construction to working with customers on targeted
05:23timber harvesting to procuring wood chips and pulp logs for paper companies
05:28in Pennsylvania and across the country to converting harvested wood into high
05:33quality products that's safe for use in our gardens and our playgrounds. The
05:38biochar process that they go through is really cutting-edge and and quite
05:42special. I can also report to all of you who are wondering they have nothing to
05:48do with the torpedo bats that the Yankees have been using and if they do
05:53get into that business you promised me the Pirates and the Philz would get
05:56first dibs on those bats. I wanted to be here today because forestry is a
06:01critically important part of our economy in Pennsylvania and it's something we
06:07are really focused on making sure we invest in, we pay attention to. About
06:11600,000 of our fellow Pennsylvanians work in the ag industry generating a
06:17hundred and thirty two billion dollars a year. About 60,000 of those
06:23Pennsylvanians work in forestry and that represents about 39 billion dollars of
06:29overall economic impact to the Commonwealth. That is big business, that
06:34is a big deal. I know it's critically important to
06:37Mifflin County, hear me on this, it is critically important to Pennsylvania
06:42that our forestry industry be strengthened and have the support of our
06:46state government and have the support I would hope of government across the
06:50board. I think to ignore forestry, to ignore ag is really not just disrespectful
06:57to the industry, it doesn't make sense economically. You know last year I
07:02unveiled the Commonwealth's first ever economic development strategy. It was
07:07the first time in about 30 years we had a focused attention on economic
07:12development and for the first time ever agriculture and forestry is one of the
07:17five pillars that we are focusing on. So no longer would Pennsylvania just invest
07:22in areas with high rises or sprawling suburban office parks. We believe that
07:27economic progress runs right through our state forests, runs right through our
07:33farmlands, runs right through rural Pennsylvania and it's not just lip
07:38service, we are putting our money where our mouth is. I recall back when I was
07:43campaigning to be your governor and spending a whole lot of time in rural
07:47Pennsylvania. One of the things I would hear from folks involved in forestry or
07:51other parts of our ag sector is they would say we need more access to capital.
07:56We need to be able to grow our operations. We need to be more efficient.
08:00We need to be able to adopt the latest technologies and we need a little bit of
08:06help from the state. After I was elected your governor, after promising to them we
08:11would do something about it, we've made good on that promise. We came together
08:16last year, Democrats and Republicans alike, to create the brand-new first-in-the-
08:22nation Ag Innovation Fund to invest in those things, to provide capital, to help
08:28companies like Metzler be able to produce more product more quickly, more
08:33efficiently, with more folks maybe more environmentally sensitive as well and we
08:39put ten million dollars into farmers and ag producers hands in the forms of grants
08:45and loans and technical assistance to help them buy new equipment, incorporate
08:49new technology that allows them to work more quickly and more efficiently.
08:54Because listen, if we really want to lead here in Pennsylvania, we've got to
08:59empower our ag industry. We've got to embrace the latest technologies.
09:03Technology and ag go hand-in-hand and we've now got the first-ever fund to put
09:09those things together and make sure those investments are meaningful. The Ag
09:14Innovation Fund is helping a company like Metzler. They received one of the
09:19first innovation grants and are using it to install, right behind you there, a new
09:23higher capacity manufacturing system to create the biochar that farmers across
09:29Pennsylvania can use to boost crop yields and improve soil health. You see
09:34when we invest in innovation at a place like Metzler, it helps our farmers out.
09:38It helps those who rely on the foods that our farmers produce to get more of it and
09:43to be able to get it in a higher quality way. My administration prioritizes ag
09:49because it's a critically important part of who we've been, who we are, and who we
09:55need to be in the future if we really want to compete effectively. I think
10:00standing with our ag sector, especially our hardwoods and forest products
10:04industry, is particularly important, especially right now. I'm mindful that
10:09we're here the day before the federal government imposes massive tariffs
10:13across the board. And while I know Metzler sells most of their products
10:17domestically, I'm worried about the larger forest products industry here in
10:22Pennsylvania once those tariffs hit tomorrow and other countries then hit us
10:27back with retaliatory tariffs. You see, Pennsylvania is the top exporter of
10:33hardwoods and forest products in the entire country. We lead the way there. We
10:39need to protect that marketplace. Look, recent history has shown us that this
10:44industry has been hurt by tariffs. This is not hard to understand. A tariff is a
10:50tax, and it increases the prices for consumers and businesses alike. After the
10:56Trump administration put more modest tariffs in place back in 2018 and other
11:01countries retaliated, as a result, American hardwood products, well, they
11:07became more expensive abroad. Because American hardwood products were more
11:12expensive, fewer people bought them, and American and Pennsylvania companies lost
11:17significant market share. Those tariffs resulted in a drop of a billion dollars
11:23in sales for the American hardwood industry. And still to this day, that
11:29industry has not been able to make up the lost ground. Domestic production of
11:34hardwood lumber has declined by 50% since 2017. That means fewer jobs here in
11:41Pennsylvania and here across the United States. So for all the talk about
11:51here in Pennsylvania, these are companies who are already here, who are suffering
11:58because of past tariffs, and who I believe will suffer because of those
12:01tariffs that are going to be imposed tomorrow by the President of the United
12:05States. I'm not sure why the President wants to do this to our ag sector, but
12:10here in Pennsylvania, I want you to know we give a damn about agriculture. We give
12:14a damn about our dairy farmers, our apple growers, our potato producers who I was
12:19with just last week. And we, of course, give a damn about our forest products
12:24industry that are represented here today. I'm trying to make life easier for all
12:29of you. I want you to grow your businesses. I don't want people to make
12:33it harder for you, and I don't want you to have to contract any more than you
12:37were forced to years ago. We're going to continue to invest in our farmers. We're
12:42going to continue to invest in our ag sector. We're going to continue to make
12:45sure that billions of dollars of economic development investment make
12:50their way to rural communities like this. We're going to continue with our
12:55first-in-the-nation Ag Innovation Fund. I hope the federal government will join
12:59us in making your lives easier, not harder. And I'm going to continue to
13:03believe in you, believe in great companies like Metzler, and continue to
13:08highlight the way those trees come out of the forest, come to great companies
13:13like this, and end up in communities all across Pennsylvania. From the supermarkets
13:18where people wander into to get a little bit of wood that they're going to use
13:22for their outdoor fireplace or somewhere in their home, to the people who are just
13:26trying to make their garden look beautiful, the folks who are using this
13:29product on their farmlands. I want you to be successful, and we're going to
13:33continue to invest in you, to believe in you, and to encourage you along. So I want
13:38to say thank you to the team at Metzler for having us today, for educating me
13:42more on the importance of the work you do, and I want you to know that I give a
13:46damn about you, and I've got your backs. And with that, to tell you more about this
13:51important industry, I'm excited to welcome Stephanie Phillips-Taggart, the
13:55Executive Director of the Keystone Wood Products Association, for some
14:00additional comments. Stephanie, the floor is yours.
14:05Thank you. As the governor said, I'm Stephanie Phillips-Taggart, Executive
14:10Director of Keystone Wood Products Association, or KWPA for short. KWPA is a
14:17nonprofit hardwood utilization group, or HUG, there's a lot of acronyms in this
14:22industry, and we serve 11 counties in central Pennsylvania. I work very closely
14:29with my counterparts, the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, as well as
14:33the Northern Tier Hardwood Association. Together, we serve 34 counties
14:40in northern and central Pennsylvania. Through engaging industry education, we're
14:46promoting the use of real American hardwood, homegrown here in Pennsylvania,
14:50and we're generating workforce development opportunities. When the grant
14:54program was announced, the HUG sprung into action, because we really wanted to
14:59support our member companies through the application process. Being here today and
15:05seeing the grant funds come to fruition is very exciting. On behalf of the HUGs, I
15:10would like to congratulate the recipients, and also thank the governor
15:14and his administration for their pledge to advance the industry, which represents
15:19the largest sector of agriculture. Not only does it employ, and I know that you
15:24mentioned this before, but we have to focus on this, 60,000 Pennsylvanians, and
15:29it has a $39 billion direct economic impact on the state annually. That's
15:35profound. And Pennsylvania is known as the number one hardwood producer and
15:41exporter in the world. It was once said that innovation distinguishes a leader
15:47and a follower. With forward thinking companies embracing opportunities to
15:52implement new agricultural technologies, while prioritizing environmental
15:57stewardship, the industry will remain a leader for years to come. The bright
16:03future can be seen right here in the practices of family owned and KWPA
16:08member Metzler Forest Products. It's one of the first companies in the United
16:12States to commercially produce biochar. In part, through the funds awarded, they
16:18will not only increase biochar production, but they will implement
16:21technologies that will allow them to more efficiently capture the heat
16:25generated from the process to fuel a new lump charcoal production line. Through
16:30its advanced use of low-grade materials, Metzler will foster economic growth by
16:36producing products which support sustainable forest management practices
16:41and provide local family sustaining careers. The Pennsylvania Agriculture
16:48Innovation Grant will also enhance the vitality of KWPA members A&M Logging,
16:53Bingaman & Son Lumber, Forsey Lumber, and Woodland Biomass Innovations. These
17:01examples are all possible because of the diligence and determination of the
17:06forest products companies, backed by the Shapiro administration's commitment to
17:10innovation. With over $10 million already pledged to 88 agricultural
17:17entities and a plan in the governor's upcoming budget to fund a second round
17:21of innovation grants providing an additional $13 million, the future is
17:27bound to be vibrant. In closing, I will leave you with a quote from Thomas
17:32Jefferson. Agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will, in the end,
17:39contribute the most real wealth, good moral, and happiness. And I definitely
17:43agree. And now I would like to introduce you to Nick Gilson, CEO of Gilson Snow.
17:53Good to be back with you, Gov. Yeah, you too. Nate, the entire Metzler family
17:58and team, thank you for having me out today. My name is Nicholas Gilson, and I
18:02am the CEO and founder of Gilson Snow. We're an American company building
18:06premium snowboards and skis here in Pennsylvania. We've shipped over 50
18:10countries around the world, and we are deeply committed to our Pennsylvania
18:14roots. At Gilson, we are focused on American innovation. We are committed to
18:18the strengthening of our American workforce. We operate at the
18:22intersection of emerging manufacturing technology and the thriving hardwoods
18:27industry here in Pennsylvania. No matter where you fall politically, most of us
18:32agree on the value of things made here in America and creating high quality
18:37jobs at home. We all want to support American innovation and American jobs
18:42that strengthen our families and our communities. I understand the intention
18:46behind the tariffs in protecting American manufacturing, but in actual
18:51practice on the ground level, there are adverse side effects. When hardwood
18:55suppliers in our ecosystem, for example, are negatively impacted by these
18:59tariffs and then retaliatory tariffs, their export businesses hurt, which
19:03hinders cash flows, increases prices for American customers and has ripple
19:08effects through our entire economy. If our suppliers are not healthy, it's
19:12going to be hard for us to be healthy as well. We live in an extraordinarily
19:17interconnected economy. Tariffs on imported materials, especially timber
19:22and specialty woods, impact companies like ours in very real ways. They raise
19:28input costs, strain supply chains and make it harder for American
19:31manufacturers to compete with foreign competitors. Beyond the cold economics,
19:36I also want to recognize that these tariffs are having an impact on the
19:40perception of American made goods. American made has come with a certain
19:44prestige that is getting undermined by undermined by these policies. For
19:49example, there are now boycotts in Canada against American made goods, a
19:53market where we formally exported 50% of all of our exports. These actions
19:58are changing the global perception of what it means to be American made, and
20:03these shifts in consumer perception impact all of us. I think almost all of
20:08us can get behind the idea that supporting American innovation,
20:12American jobs strengthens communities and strengthens families. I appreciate
20:16Governor Shapiro's administration's commitment to Pennsylvania working
20:20families and businesses. We share the goal of supporting and growing a
20:24thriving manufacturing ecosystem in our state, and that means looking closely at
20:30how these policies, including trade policy, affect businesses on the ground.
20:34I'm hopeful that with open dialogue between business leaders and
20:38policymakers at the state and federal level, we can craft smarter strategies
20:42that protect American workers, foster innovation and strengthen our economy.
20:48This is about ensuring the future of American manufacturing remains strong,
20:52agile and competitive on the global stage. At the end of the day, we all
20:57want the same thing. Good jobs, strong communities, excellent products and
21:02pride in what we build together.
21:05Thank you. I would like to introduce Secretary Redding.
21:12Governor. Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. What an honor to be here in
21:16to stand with the governor any day, but particularly do that in Mifflin County
21:20to do it here. Messlers. It's a good day. Really, I learned a lot. As the
21:26governor says often on these tours, you know, you go through and you think you
21:29understand a particular industry. Um, and then you get a chance to sort of
21:33hear the folks who are the architects of it, right? And the entrepreneurs and
21:39starting here just to think that there was a 11 man right with a chainsaw.
21:45Uh, and then you look around and you're really humbled by, uh, by the work and
21:49the, uh, the journey. So thank you, Alan, to the team.
21:54Thank you for the hat. By the way, I'm gonna say thank you. I see John Geyer,
21:58and I realized that he will be very disappointed if I don't say wood is
22:02good, right? He reminds me every time. The most important thing I can say when
22:08I go to the podium is what is good, and it is. Let me help you. We gotta get
22:13Yes, thank you. Yeah, thank you. Um, but let me build on a couple of points that
22:18the governor and others have have noted. Um, and beginning first with just a
22:23thank you to the folks that are standing here with us. We arrive here
22:28in every form of a partnership, right? It's with the companies. It's with the
22:32hugs and the hardwood utilization groups. It's the P. F. P. A. And the
22:36forest products team. It's economic development folks in the farmers and
22:40lenders and folks who really make agriculture and certainly this county
22:44in this business and state thrive. So thank you for for that. We also are
22:49here reminded that we have this amazing sort of legacy of strength in our
22:55forest. It is what brought us here. It is in our name. It is something that
23:00we value. We figured out, as the governor noted, to really elevate the
23:04entire agricultural story, uh, inside of our economic development work. And
23:10just a little back story. Several years ago, we were thinking about
23:14a new economic development impact report for Pennsylvania agriculture.
23:19Part of the challenges you can appreciate is defining what is act.
23:23It's diverse. It's everywhere. It's Amish. It's English. It's first
23:26generation. It's 10th generation. We put all that together, but really
23:30important for us for the very first time is that the forest products
23:34industry identified as a key part of our economy in the agricultural
23:41definition in Pennsylvania is the governor noted critically important to
23:45jobs in the economy, and we build it out, and that set the stage for the
23:51governor's inclusion of ag is one of the pillars as noted. And it's easy
23:55for us to identify the tangible pieces of this industry, right? It's the 17
24:01million acres. It's the jobs, the economy. It's the trucks, the people,
24:05the places. But we also know inside of this definition is the intangible, the
24:10things that really make a community function.
24:13It's the quality of life. It's the hunting. It's the tourism. It's the
24:17access for recreation. It's the groundwater recharge. All of those
24:21things that most of us sort of talk about or think about, but not always
24:26connecting back to agriculture in our forest products industry. That is what
24:30we are here to talk about to elevate to celebrate. But acknowledging it's
24:36important is one thing. Investing in it is another, and that's where I want to
24:41appreciate the governor and his leadership, as he noted, had a vision
24:45for it, and we just accelerated by way of investment in the innovation fund.
24:51We had 10 million to spend very first program of its kind of the country.
24:57Um, the problem was is we had 68 million requests, 68 million. And I can
25:04tell you, looking at each one of those applications, and Mike Roth is here,
25:08who's administrator of it. It's hard to find somebody who did not sort of
25:13qualify or put forth the very best idea of innovation for their particular
25:18business. Eso we are humbled by the 10 million 88 projects. It's definitely
25:24notes, but there's more to do. And we know that innovation is part and
25:28parcel to success in any business, and particularly in agriculture. We're here
25:34as a product of that innovation over years, right? We're here as a product
25:38of research done and now investments in innovation. We know that there are many
25:44benefits to innovation, but innovation most importantly pushes us forward.
25:50It pushes us forward, and we need that to be competitive. We needed to deal
25:56with the tight labor markets. We needed to compete domestically in
25:59international. It pushes us forward. So we are proud of the innovation fund.
26:05We're proud of the companies that have participated and has noted really want
26:10to call out the forest products industry for their aggressive sort of
26:15application. And they did some amazing things doing amazing things. We'll get
26:20a chance to visit with them, but there is more to do. So a note of thanks to
26:25the industry for investing in Pennsylvania, investing in innovation.
26:30The final point is all of this is to compete at some point. As Nick noted,
26:36domestically, internationally, we spend a lot of time thinking about how do we
26:41build sort of Pennsylvania agriculture in our businesses? The governor has been
26:46very intentional about this. He's very competitive, as we know, competitive,
26:51though, in a very spirited way and an encouraging way to make sure that we as
26:56an industry are taking full advantage of the assets that we have here in
27:00Pennsylvania. Those assets or workforce their assets of our ports that link us
27:06to the world in different ways, the assets of our natural resources and so
27:12forth. But part of that is recognizing that as a country, we are 5% of the
27:19world's population.
27:215%. That means 95% of the consumers are someplace other than the United States
27:27of America. And John would usually cringe when I say this. The 95% of the
27:32stomachs if you're in the in the food business or someplace else. But we also
27:37know those consumers are wanting our hardwoods here in P. A. So we have to
27:43compete is the point. And the governor and I have really spent a lot of time
27:48thinking about this. How do we position, uh, Pennsylvania? How do we make sure
27:53that we're doing the right things in the state policy standpoint? It's also
27:57recognizing that we have to compete on the international stage as well. And
28:02that's only possible with a partnership in the partnership of our federal
28:07government, the folks who represent us around the world, making sure that
28:10we're putting good products out, but also working in full partnership. It's
28:15a partnership with the state level with the General Assembly. It's also a
28:19partnership with every business and every economic development community
28:22across the state. And most importantly, it's a partnership with our county
28:27commissioners here in P. A. So on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, I
28:31want to say thank you to our public officials who work with us in
28:35partnership. We've got a lot of work to do, and it's my honor to invite
28:40Commissioner Kodish to share some words. So thank you. Thanks.
28:53Whose hat do we have here?
28:56Good afternoon. What a wonderful day it is today for Metzler Forest products
29:01and for Mifflin County. Farming has always been vitally important to our
29:06county and its citizens. These challenging and uncertain times. It's
29:10great to know that we have a governor like Josh Shapiro is willing to
29:14partner with businesses and provide grants that foster economic growth
29:18while supporting environmental sustainability.
29:22Governor Shapiro has worked tirelessly to create an environment where state
29:26and local governments and businesses are working cooperatively and
29:31creatively to enhance our great commonwealth. Today's grant represents
29:35a big contribution to Pennsylvania's ag economy. On behalf of my fellow
29:40commissioners, postal and wise, who are here with me. Thank you, Governor
29:44Shapiro, for your enthusiastic support of this Metzler Forest products
29:48initiative. It's a big asset for us to know that we all have a friend in the
29:52governor's office. Thank you.
29:54Thanks.
29:58All right. I think in honor of April Fool's Day, I'll ask questions to the
30:02media instead of them asking me. How about that? Go ahead. What's on your
30:06minds? Anything?
30:11No. All right.
30:14Off topic.
30:17Taking off. All right, we'll take one guy.
30:24Did you not have the camera rolling before?
30:29U. S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter has, uh, ruled that 6 67
30:36counties in Pennsylvania may not invalidate mail in balance simply
30:39because they lacked accurate handwritten dates on their exterior
30:42return envelopes. Just your thoughts on that ruling from her. Look, I mean,
30:46I've got a long history on this. I was the attorney general of the Commonwealth
30:49for six years and obviously have continued to protect voting rights is
30:53governor over the last two plus, and I'm always on the side of enfranchisement,
30:58not disenfranchisement. I believe that those issues in terms of the dating on
31:05the outside of the ballot, if everything else is in order, shouldn't
31:09be a reason why someone loses their vote, whoever they vote for Republican
31:13Democrat, whoever. And I think, you know, seeing the court agree with that
31:18is just yet another example of where the courts have sided with the voters
31:23and on the side of enfranchisement, whoever they choose. I would assume the
31:26other side is gonna appeal, and this issue will continue on. But it is good
31:31to see yet another judge this time at the federal level side with our voters
31:36and making sure their voices can be heard come election time. Okay, thank
31:41you all very much. Appreciate it.