RMHPBA Newsletter Aug 2015.pdf

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HPBA Government Affairs Continued Federal Forest Reform Legislation The full House passed federal forest reform legislation (H.R. 2647) that shows real promise for delivering needed reform principles. For one, it is a national bill that will cover the entire federal forest system, unlike Senate bills in the last Congress that took a more rifle shot approach at only Western forests. The bill moves away from some of the hard, board feet timber production targets that have drawn opposition in the past and embraces an approach that expands on existing Forest Service authorities that will accomplish the same objective. A good example of the legislation’s build- out of categorical exclusion authority which was granted to the Forest Service under the 2008 Farm Bill. Under a categorical exclusion, the Forest Service can approve forest management projects under an expedited environmental review process. Click here to continue reading and to take action. Pro-Biomass Congressional Letters A Senate letter that highlights the carbon benefits of biomass and biomass energy has 46 Senate signatories that demonstrate a bipartisan mix of support for biomass energy and its carbon benefits. The letter, lead by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) was sent to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, DOE Secretary Ernest Moniz, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The communication will be useful not only for our advocacy work with the departments and agencies, but with the media as well. A steady stream of negative stories have been trickling out of national media, highlighting claims that biomass energy has a larger carbon profile than fossil-based energy. The claims are based on the flawed premise/calculation that forest-based bioenergy starts with a carbon debt to the atmosphere, which disregards the fact that the tree from which the pellet or other biomass fuel originated has been sequestering carbon from the atmosphere over its lifetime. An effort to produce a similar letter supporting biomass energy has begun in the House. Federal Regulations DOE’s Proposed Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Furnaces Not to be confused with DOE’s hearth products rule, the Gas Furnace Rule proposes a national mandate that all non-weatherized natural gas furnaces operate at 92 percent annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) regardless of the physical structure in which they operate and the economic circumstances of the customer. The American Gas Association (AGA) submitted extensive comments to DOE at the close of the comment period, on July 10, 2015. EPA: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Test Kit Comments Last month, EPA hosted a meeting for stakeholders to discuss the reliability and availability of lead test kits in the field. There certainly are issues of reliability with currently available test kits, many of which produce false-positives resulting in compliance with requirements for renovators working in an environment with lead paint. HPBA submitted comments to the EPA on July 6, 2015, which focused on three issues: (1) the lack of a well-developed lead test kit market; (2) the need for an updated economic analysis; and (3) to encourage the EPA to not consider x-ray fluorescent (XRF) analyzers as an alternative or replacement for lead test kits. Advertise with RMHPBA! -Submit an article for the next newsletter - Advertise a product - Submit an ad For more information, contact rmhpbacommunications@gmail.com 11
Saying goodbye to an industry great For those of you that haven’t heard Jerry Fisk passed away Aug. 27. I only knew him by reputation and his was the kind most of us as Reps hope for. I remember once driving through Idaho making sales calls when I was still very new. The units on the floor were dusty and everyone was busy so I found some paper towels and cleaner and went to work. When I finished the manager made a comment to me, he said “Looks like you’ve got a little Jerry Fisk in you.” I didn’t know who Jerry was at the time but I could tell it was a compliment. As time went on so did the stories I would hear about Jerry Fisk. A man who had passion for everything in our industry and will be missed by all of those that knew him, and even those that only heard stories about him. - RMHPBA President Justin Ross Read about Jerry Fisk’s legacy here. Thank you for your membership from your RMHPBA Board of Directors!
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RMHPBA Newsletter Aug 2015.pdf

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