The Hardwood Federation produces a “D.C. Cheat Sheet” publication to maintain the {industry} up-to-date on the newest information from Washington D.C. Take a look at the November 2nd version beneath and enroll to obtain your copy.
Producers, Wooden Merchandise Trade Proceed Push for Air High quality Flexibility
On October 31, the Hardwood Federation, the Nationwide Affiliation of Producers, and practically 20 wooden merchandise {industry} allies despatched a letter to White Home Chief of Employees Jeffrey Zients to induce the administration to retain EPA’s present air high quality normal for fantastic particulate matter (PM 2.5) and reject proposals to tighten it. In accordance with a examine by the AF&PA and the American Wooden Council, EPA’s proposal to drop the usual from 12 ug per cubic meter to 9 ug, the popular consequence for the administration, in response to {industry} sources, would impose as much as $900 million in compliance prices on the wooden merchandise sector. The {industry} letter, heavy on wooden merchandise signatories, follows within the wake of a Hardwood Federation assembly with White Home officers on the Workplace of Administration and Price range (OMB) figuring out wildfires as probably the most important menace to air high quality versus emissions from sawmills and different sources.
Lawmakers Pivot to FY 2024 Spending Payments
The Senate continues work on a 3 piece “mini-bus” appropriations package deal together with Ag-FDA, which accommodates provisions funding USDA and demanding rural growth applications. To make clear, key hardwood applications such because the Market Entry and Overseas Market Growth Packages that promote exports will probably be funded within the farm invoice, which ought to see some motion through the weeks forward, following election of Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Additionally on the Senate facet, the Appropriations Committee has handed a invoice that features pro-industry language to direct the Forest Merchandise Laboratory to conduct a examine quantifying the quantity of carbon saved in wooden merchandise. The Hardwood Federation will hold you posted on developments associated to the spending payments as they unfold.
Federation Launches Trade Assembly to Coordinate E.U. Import Regs Response
On October 30, the Hardwood Federation co-hosted a gathering with AF&PA in regards to the hardwood and paper sectors’ actions associated to new guidelines coming from the E.U. that can hinder the import of U.S. wooden merchandise by requiring a cumbersome geo-location certification. The ostensible objective of the foundations is to advertise “deforestation free” merchandise, however {industry} and federal officers agree that they’ll function extra as a commerce barrier. The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) shared proposed options to expedite compliance, together with definitional modifications to the brand new guidelines and growth of an app based mostly answer to the geolocation reporting necessities. Different sectors collaborating included softwood, hardwood panel & veneer, pallets, pellets, and landowners, all of which agreed to satisfy regularly with joint management from the Federation, AHEC, and AF&PA.
Supply: Hardwood Federation