hm - June11 - cover.indd - National Hardwood Lumber Association

LEGISLATIVE LOG
April 28, 2011
Dorothy Robyn
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment
Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations & Environment)
3400 Defense Pentagon, Room 3B856A
Washington, DC 20301-3400
Dear Secretary Robyn,
Thank you for your continued efforts on behalf of our services members, their families, and ourmilitary installations. The initiatives
of your organization under your leadership are critical to the long term sustainability for our Armed Forces and therefore benefit our
nation. I am writing today with concerns regarding a contract with the Naval Engineering Corps that if found to besubstantiated
would call into question oversight and vetting procedures for certain construction initiatives on our military installations.
Recently, I met with a constituent regarding a contract in the process of being finalized by the Naval Engineering Corps. I refer you
to project number P-714 and work order number 796454 or project number P-1160 with solicitation number N4008509R3220.
The project number indicates that imported bamboo is to be utilized for flooring to complete this project. It is my understanding
that “Buy American” provisions apply to this contract and that furthermore, the use of imported bamboo would result in excess costs
of approximately $30,000.00 when compared to domestically available hardwoods. I am gravely concerned that a proposal for the
use of imported hardwoods, rather than domestically available products, was vetted and approved for construction purposes on a
U.S. military installation.
Additionally, after reviewing additional solicitations, it appears that the language used to define “qualifying materials” may be
exclusionary towards certain domestic hardwoods. These solicitations appear to favor potentially imported bamboo over domestic
hardwoods because of the environmental sustainability of bamboo. As I’m sure you are aware, however, U.S. hardwoods are abundant,
renewable, and sustainable. Oversights or exceptions in the consideration of what products are used in military installations should
not unreasonably disadvantage domestic products.
During this continued economic instability, the people of our nation are desperately in need of employment; any irregularities in
government contracting processes may result in further employment loss and uncertainty. I ask that you promptly review the above
referenced project numbers and provide me with a written response regarding your selection of imported bamboo over domestic
hardwoods and whether a “Buy American” waiver was necessary and was subsequently obtained for this project. I would also
appreciate a detailed explanation comparing standards your organization applies when determining whether to utilize imported
bamboo over domestic hardwood.
As you can imagine, any oversight or exception to our “Buy American” policies may have an inadvertently disproportionate impact
on North Carolina’s hardwood industry, and the hardwood industry in general. Ultimately, we must ensure the use of U.S. products
in U.S. government projects whenever possible. Thank you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Larry Kissell
Member of Congress
It is because of the continued outreach by the Hardwood Federation
and our allies, and the vigilance of our partners that we were able
to identify this issue; and thanks to the willingness of Congressman
Kissell to stand up for our industry and what is right, that we may
successfully resolve this issue, save the American taxpayers money,
inject needed capital into the local economy, and continue to
improve our legacy of sustainability. For more information go to
www.hardwoodfederation.net.
WWW.NHLA.COM JUNE 2011 HARDWOOD MATTERS 11