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 June 26th edition below and sign up to receive your copy.
Tax Package Running Up to July 4 Deadline: The Hardwood Federation team participated in several Senate meetings with staff this week, and the general consensus was that the budget reconciliation bill would pass the Senate either this weekend or by mid-week next week. That said, media reports out this morning suggested that there is considerable push back among GOP Senators on Medicaid cuts in the legislation. On the tax front, staff was in unanimous agreement that the trifecta of business tax benefits—R&D tax credit, 100 percent bonus depreciation and the Section 199A deduction—will all be made permanent in whatever product is ultimately passed in the upper chamber.
USDA Rescinds Roadless Rule on U.S. Federal Forests: On June 23, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the department was rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule that prohibited road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvest on approximately 60 million acres of the National Forest System. Among the benefits of rescinding the rule, the Secretary cited facilitation for fire prevention and responsible timber harvest. US Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz commented “The forests we see today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, insect-born disease, and wildfire. Currently, nearly half of our roadless acres – over 28 million – are at high or very high risk of catastrophic wildfire and are in desperate need of treatment. I applaud Secretary Rollins for taking decisive action to provide us with the tools and decision space we need to truly care for our forests and, in turn, protect the people and communities we serve.”
Northern Long Eared Bat (NLEB) Legislation May Be Back: Through connections on the Hill, the Hardwood Federation team learned up this week that Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) is planning on introducing legislation next month to down list the NLEB from its current “endangered” designation to “threatened.” The NLEB species management plans that regions around the country are now implementing are reportedly workable for the forest products sector. However, there is some concern that the status quo will not hold in perpetuity, so Rep. Stauber is looking to lock in a more reasonable threatened designation which would necessitate a 4(d) rule. Recall, that when the NLEB was first proposed as endangered in 2013 the habitat management plans accompanying that announcement would have curtailed logging and forest management in the entire NLEB’s range—38 states. The Hardwood Federation was key to securing the 4(d) rule in 20213 and has continued to raise awareness that timber harvests do NOT have significant impact on bat populations. The Hardwood Federation will likely be asked to support this measure and will do so.
Source: Hardwood Federation