DHA eNews – EPA Sets New Emissions Limits For Hazardous Air Pollutants
Congratulations to our Canadian colleagues on the Tribunal's recent determination that there is a reasonable indication of injury by imports of decorative plywood from China. This is an important step in the Canadian hardwood plywood manufacturers' antidumping and countervailing duty cases against China. Hopefully, this is a sign that Canadian manufacturers will be successful in this case.
This case is also important to the U.S. industry. Chinese dumped and subsidized plywood in Canada results in the transshipment of hardwood plywood into the U.S. and higher U.S. imports of cabinets and furniture made from dumped and subsidized plywood, damaging U.S. manufacturers of plywood, cabinets, and furniture.
If you have questions or comments, contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Keith A. Christman, President
PHOTO © CAPITAL TESTING
On July 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized amendments to the national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants for plywood and composite wood products. The revised rule sets emission limits and related work practices for formaldehyde and other regulated hazardous air pollutants. The changes were required because of litigation.
In June, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal concluded that there is a reasonable indication that decorative plywood imported from China, which is subject to ongoing dumping and subsidy investigations, has or may cause injury to the domestic industry. This decision allows the antidumping and countervailing duty process to advance to a final determination and to the potential imposition of duties.
The U.S. Ambassador to the EU published an op-ed on June 24 that echoes many of the forest product sector's criticisms of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The ambassador stated that the EUDR, when enforced against countries that pose no deforestation risk, will increase compliance costs with little or no environmental benefit.
On June 23, the chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee published the draft text of legislation to reauthorize the Farm Bill, anticipating markup before the August 10 Congressional recess. The Senate version is very close to the bill approved by the House on April 30 and includes key forest industry priorities: support for working forests, forest health, and wood innovation.
On June 23, Congress passed the 21st Century Road to Housing Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation streamlines regulations homebuilders must follow to receive federal financing and prevents large investors from owning hundreds of homes. It is expected to go into effect this month.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced 14 policy changes to the Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance program, designed to lower costs, ease regulatory burdens, and improve affordability. The updates will remove outdated requirements and make FHA financing more efficient for homebuyers and lenders.
The Trump administration announced that it will not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The decision keeps the trade agreement in effect for another decade unless one of the three countries withdraws, and establishes annual reviews that allow significant renegotiation.
China's exports of wooden furniture to the U.S. fell by 13% in Q1. China's share of the U.S. wooden furniture market also shrank, at least in part due to import tariffs and antidumping and countervailing duties. The U.S. is China's largest export market, accounting for 25% of wooden furniture exports.
Nordic Veneer, a manufacturer of softwood veneer, has announced that it will permanently close operations in the Roseburg, Oregon area. This ends more than 70 years as a family-owned wood products manufacturer in Douglas County. The company said the decision follows years of challenges facing the timber industry, including limited wood supply, shifting market conditions, industry realignment, and foreign competition.
The U.S. hardwood flooring industry continues to lose market share to luxury vinyl plank (LVP), rigid core, and laminate flooring. Hardwood flooring sales totaled about $1.8 billion last year, down by 3.8% from 2024. Total shipments fell by 6.8% to 630 million square feet, the lowest level since 2012.
Federal plans for hundreds of millions of acres of land could become invalid based on Congress's recent use of the Congressional Review Act. An Oregon lawsuit challenging a logging project could be the catalyst for unraveling management plans for federal public lands in the West, throwing the management of those lands into chaos. At stake are thousands of leases and permits.
Greater use of sustainably sourced wood could help reposition the construction sector from a major greenhouse gas emitter to a driver of climate change mitigation, according to a new report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and Bauhaus Earth. "Engineered wood products…are gaining momentum in construction, offering reduced carbon emissions compared to conventional materials such as steel and concrete."
Log homes offer unique benefits to today’s buyer. What are 2 of the top 5 benefits?