WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced today that their legislation, the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Act, has passed the full Senate.
The bipartisan bill will establish national health standards for formaldehyde in composite wood products, protecting consumers from potentially hazardous levels of the chemical. The new standards would apply to both domestic products and foreign imports.
The bill matches one passed by a House committee in May.
"This is a significant milestone in the history of our industry," said Tom Julia, president of the Composite Panel Association (CPA), a trade group for North American panel wood manufacturers. “The Senate has taken the rare step of approving a new national standard in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way."
CPA members, which have been pressing for passage of the bills, include 40 of the leading manufacturers of particleboard, medium density fiberboard and hardboard, representing nearly 95% of the total manufacturing capacity in United States, Canada and Mexico.
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The bipartisan bill will establish national health standards for formaldehyde in composite wood products, protecting consumers from potentially hazardous levels of the chemical. The new standards would apply to both domestic products and foreign imports.
The bill matches one passed by a House committee in May.
"This is a significant milestone in the history of our industry," said Tom Julia, president of the Composite Panel Association (CPA), a trade group for North American panel wood manufacturers. “The Senate has taken the rare step of approving a new national standard in an overwhelmingly bipartisan way."
CPA members, which have been pressing for passage of the bills, include 40 of the leading manufacturers of particleboard, medium density fiberboard and hardboard, representing nearly 95% of the total manufacturing capacity in United States, Canada and Mexico.
Related coverage:
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