WASHINGTON, DC,
April 7, 2011
(Press Release) -
Timothy Hess, vice president, Engineered & Converting Products, Glatfelter, will testify later today on behalf of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) that existing and expected new EPA regulations could have dramatic impact on the U.S. forest products industry and the nearly 900,000 men and women who work in it. In his prepared testimony, he will make the case for greater coordination, cost-effectiveness and consistency in federal regulation. Examples from his prepared testimony, which is attached, include:
"A key issue for this committee to consider is the cumulative effect of all of the growing number of new regulations. Under the Clean Air Act alone, we are facing over twenty regulations, including Boiler MACT that could have a dramatic impact on the sustainability of our industry."
"The suite of potential clean air regulations could prevent new expansion or upgrade of existing forest products industry facilities in the U.S."
"When regulations such as Boiler MACT and NAAQS create great uncertainty and they are not affordable or achievable, investing in an energy efficiency project, mill modernization programs, or a new biomass boiler can be very risky, preventing job creation in rural communities that desperately need it."
"Unfortunately, it is easier to see the jobs that are lost after the fact. But the greatest damage may be unknowable -- the loss of projects that are never built, the products never made, the jobs never created, or the entrepreneurial ideas that drown in the sea of red tape."
For a copy of Timothy Hess' complete testimony submitted for the record, click here .
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.
