Hardwood Floors June/July 2024

Government Affairs (Continued) in late 2023, the EPA had been considering a more flexible standard of 10 micrograms per cubic meter, an outcome that the industry favored over the more costly alternative while still preferring the current standards set at 12 ug. The Hardwood Federation team joined wood products allies, including the American Wood Council and the American Forest and Paper Association, to urge Democratic senators to weigh in with the administration and advocate against imposing these standards. The next steps include options such as litigation and legislative intervention to blunt the impact of the new rule. While arguing that the new PM standard falls outside the scope of EPA authority in federal court could provide the path of least resistance to regulatory relief, groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also will look at legislative tools. These may include an appropriations rider in a

Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 spending bill that would defund the implementation of the tighter standard. The Hardwood Federation will keep you posted on developments as they unfold. Dana Lee Cole is the executive director at the Hardwood Federation, a Washington, D.C.- based hardwood industry trade association that represents thousands of hardwood businesses in every state in the United States and acts as the industry advocacy voice on Capitol Hill. She can be reached at dana.cole@hardwoodfederation.com.

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