WASHINGTON DC,
July 12, 2011
(Press Release) -
American Forest & Paper Association President and CEO Donna Harman today issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Comparable Contaminant Guidance Concept Paper for the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (NHSM) rule.
"While EPA's actions show an acknowledgment of the serious problems within the NHSM rule, there is no substitute for making the necessary changes to the rule itself. If the rule is not corrected, millions of tons of carbon-neutral biomass materials would be diverted to landfills, and replaced with fossil fuels at the expense of the environment and critically needed jobs.
"The use of guidance documents to amend the final regulation will not provide the legal certainty necessary to make job sustaining investments in our facilities. We remain committed to working with EPA toward improved rules and urge the Agency to propose amendments to fix the rule through notice and comment as required by the Administrative Procedure Act. Quick legislative action to restore the longstanding status of alternative fuels as important and legitimate sources of energy for boilers will help to ensure achievable and affordable regulations. We urge Congress to pass H.R. 2250. We believe environmental protection and job creation can work together but Congress must stay the NHSM rule and give EPA the time it needs to produce a workable rule."
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. 
