Advocacy Day 2024
We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Washington next week for ABMA’s Advocacy Day. Staff is finalizing preparations for what promises to be a successful couple of days in our nation’s capital. Like last year, dozens of meetings have been scheduled with key Members of Congress and/or their staff and we expect many productive discussions on the suite of our federal public policy priorities.
It’s important for organizations like ours to come to Washington on the regular for a number of reasons. One, while Members of Congress and staff expect to interact on a daily basis with government affairs consultants based in D.C., they prefer to speak directly with the actual job creators in their states and districts. Only you know the intricacies of your business and the daily challenges and opportunities you face. And it is refreshing for these Members to hear from business owners and employees in plain terms what is on their minds instead of the word salady “Washington speak” to which they have grown accustomed.
Another benefit of in-person visits is that these interactions often set in motion follow-up visits where the Member shows up at your operation for a yard tour. When we have Hill meetings when you are not here, we focus on our policy priorities and strategies for moving them forward. The prospect of a yard tour back in the district just does not emerge as organically as it does when ABMA members are conversing face to face with their elected officials. It just seems to happen naturally during these Advocacy Days and that’s a positive.
Again, we are looking forward to seeing you. Remember to relax and be yourself in these meetings and just have fun with it. You have likely forgotten more about what your business does, what you do and the contributions you make to your community than they will ever know.
In terms of dress code, Washington remains one of the last bastions that is clinging to business attire. A word of caution, however. If you have a pair of great looking shoes that you really love but hurt your feet, leave them at home. Lots of walking is in your future next week so choose comfort and practicality over style. You’ll be tired at the end of the day, but it will be a “good tired.”
See you on Monday!
EPA Power Plant Rulemaking
On Thursday, EPA rolled out a suite of final rules seeking to control air and water pollution from our nation’s coal-fired power plants. The announcement marks yet another major regulatory move by the Administration in an attempt to lock in President Biden’s policies ahead of the November election and protect them from a Congressional Review Act override.
The rules impose stringent air quality controls on electric utilities which will force coal-fired units to either shut down or commit to investing in carbon capture technology. The rule also applies to new natural gas-fired utilities and requires both to ultimately control 90 percent of their carbon pollution. The other rules in the package tighten mercury and air toxics standards at coal-fired facilities as well as wastewater discharge and coal ash ponds at these units.
ABMA is monitoring this rule package out of concern with increased power costs for businesses like ours. There will likely be litigation challenging the rules and we will report on developments.
White Oak Legislation Introduced
A bipartisan group of House members have introduced H.R. 5582, the White Oak Resilience Act, legislation intended to prevent the supply of white oak lumber from dwindling to unsustainable levels as market demand for the material remains high. Specifically, the bill would establish pilot projects for the U.S. Forest Service “to regenerate white oak where appropriate” and empowers the Civilian Conservation Corps to “plant white oak and associated hardwoods.” While foresters do not generally recommend planting hardwood species as they regenerate naturally, the situation with white oak is concerning and has even spawned an organization dedicated solely to it– www.whiteoakinitiative.org. The impetus for this organization originally came from the bourbon industry out of concern for white oak supply to make bourbon barrels.
The bill has been referred to the House Agriculture Committee and we will keep our eyes on it.
EPA Formaldehyde Action
The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with a proposal to ratchet down the workplace exposure level to formaldehyde to 11 parts per billion (ppb). This threshold is extremely low and below background levels for most exposure situations. In fact, this level is only slightly above the level exhaled in human breath. Moreover, it is far below the OSHA Permissible Exposure Level of 750 ppb and also lower than the recently determined European Union Occupational Exposure Level of 300 ppb.
The action is particularly concerning for wood products manufacturers as formaldehyde occurs naturally in wood. Moreover, formaldehyde is present in off gassing associated with glues in composite wood products. Public comments are being prepared by trade groups representing the wood manufacturing sector. We are close to these groups and will provide those comments when a draft is available.
