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Jessica McFaul
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comm@afandpa.orgAF&PA Calls on Congress to Pass Russia PNTR Legislation
WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement ahead of expected a House vote on legislation authorizing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia.
“AF&PA supports congressional passage of legislation that will extend PNTR to Russia and calls on the House and Senate to act quickly.
“It is important that the U.S. Congress grant PNTR to Russia so that U.S. business can take full commercial advantage of Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), which took place nearly three months ago. If Congress fails to act, U.S. businesses will not gain the full benefits of concessions that Russia made as part of its WTO accession commitments, putting U.S. businesses at a disadvantage against all other WTO members competing in the Russian market.”
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The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing pulp, paper, packaging and wood products manufacturers, and forest landowners. Our companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources that sustain the environment. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Industry companies produce about $190 billion in products annually and employ nearly 900,000 men and women, exceeding employment levels in the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 47 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org.