CONTACT: Chuck Fuqua / Jessica McFaul
(202) 463-2436
comm@afandpa.org
WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement applauding House and Senate leaders for introducing the Silvicultural Regulatory Consistency Act, which will provide clear congressional direction regarding the nonpoint status of forest roads under the Clean Water Act.
“Logging road runoff has been successfully regulated through state best management practices for more than 35 years, and this legislation will provide certainty for the forest products industry. While the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authority to exempt discharges of channeled stormwater runoff from logging roads from Clean Water Act point source permitting, the plaintiffs in the case are continuing legal efforts in the Ninth Circuit to regulate the runoff.
“We thank Sens. Ron Wyden and Mike Crapo and Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Kurt Schrader for their leadership on this important issue and urge lawmakers to pass this legislation.”
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Editor’s Note: Additional original co-sponsors for the legislation include: Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and James Risch (R-ID), and Representatives John Barrow (D-GA), Dan Benishek (R-MI), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Tom Cotton (R-AK), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Doc Hastings (R-WA), Jack Kingston (R-GA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Mike Michaud (D-ME), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Reid Ribble (R-WI), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and Greg Walden (R-OR).
The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance a sustainable U.S. pulp, paper, packaging, and wood products manufacturing industry through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. AF&PA member companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry’s sustainability initiative - Better Practices, Better Planet 2020. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 4.5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures approximately $200 billion in products annually, and employs nearly 900,000 men and women. 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 or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper.