WASHINGTON DC,
Oct. 17, 2011
(Press Release) -
American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman today issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledgement that it will initiate a rulemaking on the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (NHSM) rule.
"We are encouraged that the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to replace the flawed rule with a new rulemaking. We understand it will be proposed on the same timeline as the BMACT reconsideration proposal due out the end of the month. We look forward to reviewing the details when they are published.
"Legislation will ensure EPA has the time necessary to fix the Boiler MACT rules in a way that they will be affordable and achievable. The NHSM rule is only one part of the problem addressed by H.R. 2250 and S. 1392. The Boiler MACT rules are the subject of much litigation, and legislation can provide a more certain path forward to getting rules that can finally be implemented. Members from both parties in the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2250 last week. We urge the Senate to quickly pass The EPA Regulatory Relief Act to achieve final Boiler MACT rules that protects American jobs and public health."
The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing pulp, paper, packaging and wood products manufacturers, and forest landowners. Our companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources that sustain the environment. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Industry companies produce about $175 billion in products annually and employ nearly 900,000 men and women, exceeding employment levels in the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. 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.
