The Composite Panel Assn. has made reform of the Biomas Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) a priority.

LAVAL, QUE - Uniboard, a North American manufacturer of engineered wood products, announced that its new Moncure, NC, MDF facility has been certified to meet CARB Phase 1 emission standards.

ABDERDEEN, UK - A plumber was acquitted on health and safety charges relating to a December 2006 incident in which an 18-year-old apprentice was crushed to death by a stack of MDF. According to the BBC, the local sheriff investigating the case ruled that the plumbing boss, who was “devastated” by the tragedy, was not responsible or negligent. The apprentice was found pinned against the wall undera pile of MDF panels at ARH Services in Aberdeen Harbor.

The Composite Panel Assn. (CPA) has filed comments seeking amendments to the proposed rule for the federal Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP).

CARB leveled the playing field in California. Now, legislation before Congress may extend that fair play across the nation.

OLDHAM, UK – The case against a cabinet manufacturer exonerated on charges that he defrauded clients has taken another turn. According to the Local Government Chronicle, Oldham officials are thinking about appealing a judge’s ruling that its taxpayers reimburse the court system approximately 2 million pounds for the “flawed” prosecution of cabinet manufacturing mogul Vance Miller. He was cleared in January of charges that he cheated customers by selling them kitchen cabinets made of particleboard and MDF that he had marketed at “high quality.”

The USDA Farm Service Agency on Feb. 3 issued the long-awaited proposed rule for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), intended to spur the expansion of dedicated non-food crops for renewable energy and bio-fuel production. It is expected that the proposal will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, Feb. 8.

LEESBURG, VA – The Composite Panel Assn. is observing its 50th anniversary in 2010. The association was founded in 1960 as the National Particleboard Assn. In 1989, the NPA formed the PB-MDF Institute, opening up membership to suppliers and customers. The institute became the Composite Wood Council and ultimately merged with the broader association. In 1997, the Canadian Particleboard Assn. joined the group and the association was renamed the Composite Panel Assn.

Congress is scrutinizing the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), which, in its current structure, could eliminate thousands of woodworking jobs, as well as raise consumers’ costs for cabinets, furniture and other items that use composite panels.

11/3/09