The Hardwood Federation produces a “D.C. Cheat Sheet” newsletter to keep the industry up-to-date on the latest news from Washington D.C. Check out the January 9th edition below and sign up to receive your copy.
Dock Workers, Port Operators Reach Tentative Labor Deal
On January 8, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) struck a tentative deal on a six-year labor contract, thereby averting a work stoppage that could have begun on January 15, the date on which the current contract is set to expire. To establish business certainty, however, both parties have agreed to continue operating under the current contract until each party can ratify a final, six-year deal. This action follows sustained advocacy from industry, including submission of a letter from the Hardwood Federation and coalition partners on December 6, urging the ILA and USMX to return to the negotiation table. In October, the federation and partners sent a letter to President Biden, urging him to use the bully pulpit to expedite talks. In more recent days, the federation has been working directly with hardwood ally, Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), to rally congressional support from House members to urge completion of negotiations. The Federation has also engaged officials from the Department of Commerce, sharing anecdotes from the hardwood sector to illustrate the operational difficulties that a work stoppage would cause. To read the joint statement between the ILA and USMX, please click here.
USFS to Withdraw Proposal to Amendment of Forest Management Plans
During the days ahead, the USFS will publish a notice in the Federal Register, formally withdrawing a proposed environmental assessment that would have paved the way for wholesale amendment of forest management plans, triggering a “one-size fits” all approach to old growth forests. Fortunately for hardwoods, the agency’s decision is consistent with Hardwood Federation comments filed in September, urging the agency “to take no action” with respect to the proposal. Ultimately, USFS action would have removed even more acreage from sustainable management. In more good news for hardwoods, the USFS will now continue to address the old growth through the 2012 Planning Rule which governs the forest planning process, an outcome that the federation urged the USFS to continue within the context of comments filed in September.
Defense Spending Bill Supports Red Oak in DOD Applications
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed in December, includes Hardwood Federation developed language promoting the use of red oak in military vehicles in the final Committee Report accompanying the bill. The report directs the Department of Defense (DOD) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to move swiftly in transitioning from endangered apitong to domestically produced red oak for trailer bed and other applications and reads as follows: The committee strongly encourages the Department of Defense (DOD) to work with the General Services Administration to expeditiously implement Commercial Item Description A-A60057, which approves the use of domestic northern red oak lumber as the preferred decking materials for floorboards in DOD vehicle fleets. Expediting the transition to domestic Northern Red Oak lumber for hardwood floorboards in DOD vehicles would ensure that the Department would no longer rely on foreign sourced apitong hardwood, which is critically endangered and comes from tropical rainforests. To read the full text of the NDAA, please click here; the above language is on page 508.
The Hardwood Federation has moved! The Hardwood Federation offices moved as of Friday, November 8, 2024. We continue to co-locate with the American Forest & Paper Association in downtown Washington, D.C. Our new address is:
Hardwood Federation
601 Thirteenth Street, NW, Suite 1000 N
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same.
Make a Difference in Washington, DC! As the new year begins, please consider a corporate contribution to the Hardwood Federation to support services related to the federation’s activities that promote the U.S. hardwood industry through advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and the administration. With a crucial election just a few short weeks away, 2025 will present new challenges and opportunities to promote the industry. For more information on supporting the federation, please click here.