WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today applauded passage of legislation to create a new nationwide standard for formaldehyde emissions from composite wood panels. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed legislation that will set create federal standards to lower formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products based on standards of the California Air Resources Board.
“American wood products manufacturers have worked hard to meet rigorous standards, and we appreciate the leadership of Senator Amy Klobuchar and others on this bill,” said Donna Harman, President and CEO of AF&PA. “By using California’s existing technology-based standard to create a single nationwide standard, those manufacturers who have stepped up and made the efforts to comply with rigorous standards aren’t put at a competitive disadvantage.”
The legislation was promoted by a coalition that included AF&PA, the Composite Panel Association and other wood products associations, as well as the Sierra Club and other nongovernmental organizations. The bill gives the EPA until January 2013 to issue regulations implementing the emissions standards and until July 2013 to revise import regulations to ensure that imported products comply with the standards.