NEWS

The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance testified at a hearing of the U.S. Trade Representative's Office on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement. The organization stated that "without strengthening the USMCA, the gains from the President’s new Section 232 tariffs on cabinets will leak straight through Canada and Mexico." DHA made similar points in our recent comments to the USTR, highlighting transshipment.

PHOTO © USCBP

The House has passed the PERMIT Act, legislation designed to clarify the Clean Water Act permitting process. The bill would cut red tape, reduce regulatory burdens, and streamline and expedite the permitting process while ensuring clean water protections. The bill is supported by homebuilders.

Read More: House Passes NAHB-Supported PERMIT Act → 

This week, the House Rules Committee advanced a bipartisan bill, the Standardized Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, designed to speed up the federal permitting process. This bill would streamline environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It includes provisions to limit when federal agencies can revisit or undo prior environmental reviews and federal authorizations. 

After reviewing comments made during the scientific peer review process, the Environmental Protection Agency released a revised draft risk evaluation for formaldehyde emissions under TSCA and requested additional comments. The draft evaluation contains significant changes, including that worker inhalation no longer contributes to unreasonable risk in wood products manufacturing.

PHOTO © CAPITAL TESTING

On November 26, the European Parliament approved the delay in enforcing the EU Deforestation Regulation. On December 4, the Council of the European Union reached a provisional agreement. The European Parliament is expected to ratify the EUDR delay this week. Once ratified, enforcement will begin on December 30, 2026, for large companies and June 30, 2027, for small businesses.