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September 2008 |
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Timber Jobs Will be Protected Under Farm Bill Measure |
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Provision fends off unfair competition from illegally harvested foreign timber
May 14, 2008
CONTACT: Allyson Groff or Blake Androff, 202-226-9019
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, won passage in the House of Representatives on Wednesday of an important natural resources provision that would help stop the flow of illegally logged foreign timber imported into the U.S., which is creating unfair competition for domestic timber producers.
"This critical provision gives the U.S. an important new enforcement tool to put a stop to the unfair competition brought on by the importation of illegally harvested wood and the products made from that wood. American timber and furniture jobs should not be undercut any longer by foreigners who deal in illegally harvested woods and pilfer timber profits from law-abiding citizens on our own soil," Rahall said.
The provision was included in the Farm Bill (Food and Energy Security Act of 2008 (H.R. 2419)). Rahall, who participated in the Conference Committee that negotiated the Farm Bill, had helped to guide this provision through the House Natural Resources Committee in November 2007, when his Committee approved the Legal Timber Protection Act (H.R. 1497) introduced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
The provision in the Farm Bill - nearly identical to the bill that was approved by the Natural Resources Committee - would amend the Lacey Act of 1981 to extend its protections to plants and trees that are illegally harvested outside of the U.S. Currently, the Lacey Act only provides protections against the illegal trade of fish and wildlife.
According to a report published last year by the American Forest and Paper Association, the importation of illegal wood costs the U.S. roughly $1 billion every year in lost exports and reduced domestic prices.
Further, the U.S. Department of Justice says that there are few legal mechanisms in the U.S. to prevent the importation of wood and wood products stemming from illegal logging - a deficiency that severely limits the federal government's ability to protect legal wood and wood products firms.
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