NEWS

A federal court has ruled that the Corporate Transparency Act is unconstitutional. The law would have imposed multiple reporting requirements on small and medium-sized businesses. Members of the wood industry signed a letter in November urging Congress to delay the law's implementation.
 
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The Hardwood Federation joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others to support a Resolution of Disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to rescind EPA's new air quality standards for fine particulate matter. In February, EPA lowered the air quality standard for fine particulate matter from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a more stringent 9 mg. This action could add up to $900 million in compliance costs for the U.S. wood products industry.
 

The American Hardwood Export Council issued a Trade Alert on the EU Deforestation Regulation. The regulation is still on track to be implemented beginning on January 1, 2025, for large European importers (those with annual revenue greater than €50 million or more than 250 employees) and on June 30 for smaller importers. EUDR is widely viewed as unworkable. AHEC is working on a proposed solution and is preparing a pilot test to present to the European Commission at the end of this month.

Numerous organizations in the wood products industry signed a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative urging Ambassador Tai to keep pressure on her EU counterparts to make the EU Deforestation Regulation workable for U.S. exporters. The impact of the regulation in its current state could be particularly onerous for forests with a large number of private landowners.
 

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PHOTO © USTR

In a draft risk evaluation on March 15, the Environmental Protection Agency determined that formaldehyde presents an unreasonable risk to human health. This begins a new regulatory process that could result in stringent new regulations in 2026.