NEWS

U.S. imports of engineered wood flooring have increased, yet again. Year-to-date through May, imports were up by more than 12% in value and 7.6% in volume. Imports from Vietnam led, as the value of imports from Vietnam grew by almost 25% to more than $102 million.

PHOTO © AHF PRODUCTS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a draft document that would open existing forest plans to amendments, creating opportunities to remove more acreage from timber harvest. DHA is providing input to the Hardwood Federation as they submit comments. USDA has facilitated regional meetings to discuss the proposed change; register to attend the summary session on July 31.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a new rule for workplace heat standards due to record-breaking temperatures, especially during the summer. It applies to outdoor and indoor work, imposing four additional requirements on employers when the heat index exceeds 90 degrees.

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a devastating blow to the federal regulatory machine with the decision to overturn "Chevron deference." This landmark ruling, by a 6–3 vote, ends the practice of courts deferring to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous laws and shifts the responsibility to the courts.

Read more: U.S. Supreme Court Overrules Chevron →

China has joined numerous countries, including the U.S., in raising concerns about the European Union Deforestation Regulation that is set to go into effect on December 31. China stated that it refuses to share geolocation data, as required by the EUDR, because of security concerns. China is one of the EU's largest suppliers of forest products.