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Decorative Hardwoods Association members have told us that our standards provide critical value to their companies. We're happy to report that the revision process for our American National Standard for Hardwood and Decorative Plywood (ANSI/HPVA HP-1-2020) is nearing completion and the revised standard is available for comment. Our thanks to our members and the many others who participated in the revision process.

In our last newsletter, I started by stating that "the Biden administration continued its regulatory onslaught on March 15 with EPA's release of a new formaldehyde risk evaluation." This rush to finalize regulations before the election appears to be a trend and a high priority. Stories featured below include new heavy truck regulations that mandate 30% zero-emission trucks in just eight years. Can you imagine electric logging trucks?

The Biden administration continued its regulatory onslaught on March 15 with EPA's release of a new formaldehyde risk evaluation. EPA is rushing to finalize the risk evaluation in 2024 while under the current administration. The risk evaluation would be followed by new regulations on wood products, workplaces, and many other industries in 2026. DHA is collaborating with industry allies on a detailed response.

DHA joined the Hardwood Federation in opposing proposed changes to the Lacey Act that would undermine enforcement of U.S. law by placing unreasonable timelines for clearing and releasing potential illegal imports. While we support greater efficiency and funding for Lacey enforcement to speed up the process, the proposed changes in H.R. 7157 are not the right approach.

DHA joined industry leaders and the U.S. Forest Service in signing a formal memorandum of agreement that will help document the carbon benefits of wood products and help us all market wood products in today's climate-conscious building industry. This data will be essential in the coming years as we compete against fake materials with higher carbon emissions for government and commercial projects.