Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to cut this year’s August recess short by two weeks, but federal lawmakers will still be using part of August to visit constituents at home. The American Wood Council encourages you to use this opportunity to schedule a meeting with members of Congress and their staff to discuss issues that affect the wood products industry. Or even better, invite them to come visit your facilities and show them in person how policies play out on the ground.
Important Legislation
Regardless of whether you call, email, plan a meeting, or arrange a site visit with legislators, your voice can really make a difference. Below are some important issues affecting wood product manufacturers that we encourage you to raise:
- Timber Innovation Act. The Timber Innovation Act (S. 538 in the Senate and H.R. 1380 in the House) would encourage more research and development into emerging mass timber technology. The United States has an opportunity to bring new, sustainable mass timber technology to our construction industry, and the Timber Innovation Act would include mass timber in technical assistance and research programs already in place.
- Energy Bill. The Senate is hoping to quickly pass a comprehensive energy bill (S. 1460), but there is a missed opportunity in the bill. AWC would like to see the addition of product neutrality provisions to the building energy code section, which would return the Department of Energy to its congressionally-authorized role as a ‘technical advisor’ instead of using its position to advocate for particular products or technologies in building energy codes. AWC does support the Senate bill’s provisions that recognize the carbon benefits of biomass energy and require consistent policies across all departments and agencies, as well as recognition of multiple green building rating systems.
- Regulatory Accountability Act. The bill (S. 951) aims to modernize the process federal agencies use when they write regulations that most significantly affect the lives of all Americans. The cumulative regulatory burden on American manufacturing has become unsustainable and works counter to investment, capital planning, and job creation. AWC supports the Regulatory Accountability Act because it says the government must implement rules that have undergone a more rigorous assessment of their costs and benefits. It is just common sense to require examination of the cost of regulations and the quality of scientific and economic analyses used to support them.
These issues will be at the forefront of the minds of your members of Congress when they return to Washington, D.C., so now is the perfect time to communicate our industry stance to them.
You can use the AWC website to find your federal legislators’ contact information: www.awc.org/publicpolicy. AWC staff also can assist you in preparing for your call, meeting, or visit.