Release Date: 09-28-2010
WASHINGTON – The American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) and American Wood Council (AWC) today commended the 41 U.S. Senators who sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson expressing their concerns about the threat to manufacturing jobs posed by EPA’s proposed maximum achievable control technology rule for industrial boilers, commonly referred to as Boiler MACT.
“At a time when policymakers are rightly saying we need to preserve and grow manufacturing jobs, the proposed Boiler MACT rule as drafted would actually work against that objective,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. “I want to thank Senators Alexander, Bayh, Collins, Landrieu, Voinovich and Wyden for their leadership on this effort to create a win-win for jobs and the environment.”
In their letter, the Senators stated, “While we support efforts to address serious health threats from air emissions, we also believe that regulations can be crafted in a balanced way that sustains both the environment and jobs.”
“The proposed Boiler MACT rule could put thousands of jobs at risk in the wood products industry, which has already been particularly hard hit in recent economic times,” said American Wood Council President Robert Glowinski. “EPA can still revise the proposed rule in a way that protects the environment and saves the jobs our workers depend upon to support their families.”
Boiler MACT sets emission limits for industrial boilers and process heaters used by a wide range of manufacturers, such as forest products mills, as well as universities, hospitals, small municipal power plants, Federal facilities and many others. The proposed Boiler MACT rule would set emission limits at barely detectable and possibly unachievable levels; require installation of up to four different air pollution control devices that will conflict with other control requirements; and impose costs to the forest products industry resulting in lost jobs. Our organizations look forward to working with EPA to craft a final regulation taking our concerns into account.
Click here to view the Senate letter and the complete list of signatories.
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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 and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 48 states. Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org.
The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American traditional and engineered wood products, representing over 60% of the industry. From a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon, the wood products industry makes products that are essential to everyday life and employs 360,000 men and women in well-paying jobs. AWC's engineers, technologists, scientists, and building code experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards on structural wood products for use by design professionals, building officials, and wood products manufacturers to assure the safe and efficient design and use of wood structural components. AWC also provides technical, legal, and economic information on wood design, green building, and manufacturing environmental regulations advocating for balanced government policies that sustain the wood products industry.
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