HARDWOOD FEDERATION -
HARDWOOD FEDERATION - Continued from page 28 The resolutions are invaluable tools. They have helped educate policy makers on Capitol Hill on the importance of using U.S. Hardwoods in any green building design. Also, to assure American Hardwoods are recognized, we use them as a communication tool to work with the Administration on new and existing federal procurement standards. In 2010, we also continued to have success on raising awareness on the benefits of U.S. Hardwoods when we worked with allies in Congress to amend two pieces of legislation to include Hardwood as an environmentally beneficial building material. The HomeStar bill offers tax rebates and credits for homeowners who make energy efficient upgrades to their homes, and the 21 st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act, helps create green building jobs. Both had originally made no mention of U.S. MANUFAC T U R E R O F QUALITY BAND SAW N N O RT H E R N A P PALAC H I A N H A R DWOODS RED OAK WHITE OAK CHERRY SOFT MAPLE POPLAR WHITE ASH HARD MAPLE WALNUT 500,000 B.F. Dry Kiln Capacity 2 Million B.F. Dry Storage Container Loading Mixed TL’s S2S, Ripped to Width, Cut-Length & Finger-Joint Lumber Measured & Inspected after Kiln Drying 2240 Shermans Valley Road, Elliottsburg, PA 17024 Phone: 717-582-4122 Fax: 717-582-7438 Toll Free: 1-800-253-0263 E-mail: sales@tuscarorahardwoods.com Website: tuscarorahardwoods.com Hardwoods as a material of choice, but our allies were successful in amending both pieces of legislation. Unfortunately the bills stalled in the Senate, but we remain hopeful that the legislation will be acted upon again in 2011. HF’s work continues on the effective implementation of the Lacey Act. The HF was instrumental in seeing prohibition on illegal logging included in this long-standing federal law through amendments passed in 2008. And for the past two years, HF has worked with a coalition of environmental organizations and retailers to arrive at a consensus on how best to administer the law. Specific to this effort was assuring adequate funding for federal agencies to effectively enforce the new law. Two additional hard-fought accomplishments that came our way recently involve the ever-active EPA. The agency was taking a misguided approach to biomass fuel in two regulations, the Tailoring Rule and Boiler MACT. EPA wanted to treat biomass and the facilities that utilize it no differently than fossil fuels and those that burn coal and oil. The Hardwood Federation, along with industry coalition led by AF&PA, activated our grassroots and allies in Congress to send hundreds of letters to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson asking her to reconsider how her agency was proposing to treat biomass. And as the year ended, Jackson requested a 15-month extension on the rulemaking process so they could re-examine their approach. Behind the scenes on all of these wins was our active outreach on Capitol Hill. Through regular personal meetings and contacts, industry events like our annual fly-in, and HFPAC events, the Hardwood Federation generated hundreds of contacts with lawmakers and regulators in 2010. The PAC is an area where we had both success in 2010, but need to improve in the year ahead. We raised over 5,000 in the 2010 election cycle, which was short of our initial goal of 0,000. However, we had a total of 216 individuals contribute to the HFPAC over the 2010 cycle. This was the largest 40 Hardwoods Have Resiliency
HARDWOOD FEDERATION - Continued total yet in the history of the Hardwood Federation. We contributed to 95 candidates for the House and Senate and 78% of our candidates were victorious. We will continue to use the HFPAC as a primary outreach and education tool as we move forward, and we hope you will join us as we begin raising money for the 2012 elections in earnest. Our industry and our issues will need all the help we can get, and the greater number of participants we have and the more contributions we can raise, the better off we will all be. But before the actual elections, we’ll have to deal with a new divided Congress in 2011; Republicans now hold the House, Democrats the Senate, and our challenges are many. With the U.S. economy still faltering, Congress will be focusing on job creation and economic recovery in 2011. We’ll be working hard to continue to represent the interests of small businesses and to ensure Congress fully understands how their programs will impact rural economies. From tax policy to green jobs bills, we’ll make sure our industry is not overlooked. We’ll also continue fighting for our industry as Congress takes on energy policy – pointing again to the House and Senate resolutions of 2009 and 2010 that state unequivocally that American Hardwoods are sustainable and renewable. We’ll make sure our products and industry receive the environmental recognition they deserve – in procurement policies and new rules and regulations. And with so many new faces in Congress this year, we’ll spend a great deal of time getting them up to speed on our industry and issues. We’ll use our PAC and regular grassroots outreach, as well as our annual February and October Washington, D.C., meetings and fly-ins to help attach a positive face to our industry. And we’ll need your active participation in these efforts! We thank you for your support in 2010, and we look forward to continuing to work with you as we champion our industry. We hope NHLA GRADUATION - Continued from page 29 industry leaders will join our PAC efforts, • Kyle D. Cline - Westside Hardwood Club and continue to help strengthen our unified Award for Highest Board Run Average Hardwood industry’s voice here in • Jesse A. Johnson - J.P. Hamer Award for Most Improved Student Washington. For more information on any • Cecil L. Elgin, Jr. - South Central of these issues or to find out how you can get Lumbermen’s Award for Best more directly involved, please visit us on the Attitude/Citizenship web at www.hardwoodfederation.com, or • Mitchell R. Childress – Willard simply pick up the phone and call us at (202) Scholarship Award for Self-Sufficiency, 463-2705. • Please turn the page When you think of wood, think of us. Atlanta, GA Huntersville, NC Cleveland, GA Crystal Spring, PA Clarksville, TN 800-476-5393 www.hardwoodweb.com FEBRUARY/2011 41
