IWPA Goes To Bat For Industry At 301 Hearings
By Ashley Amidon
Executive Director,
International Wood Products Association
The two months since the most recent edition of Import/Export Wood Purchasing News have been among the most active in the history of IWPA’s advocacy on behalf of the international wood product industry. This is a direct reflection of the unprecedented uncertainty that my members are facing as the Trump Administration works to refashion the global tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court in February.
In March, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative notified the public that it was initiating several 301 investigations that, when concluded, would replace those tariffs. Those notices set off a rush of targeted activity by the IWPA team to provide comprehensive comments, testimony at public hearings in Washington, responses to direct questions from the interagency 301 Committee, and rebuttal comments following the public hearings. It was my honor to testify at both hearings in order to ensure that the committee understands the unique role that our industry plays in supporting U.S. manufacturing. IWPA staff was present throughout the nearly two full weeks of public hearings, which allowed us to respond to common questions from the committee and amplify important points from other participants in our rebuttal comments.
In our comments and testimony, IWPA recommended that the 301 Committee consider several principles as it works to address concerns about forced labor and excess capacity:
• Exempt naturally unavailable wood species such as tropical wood species that have no domestic alternative and cannot be grown in the U.S.
• Avoid stacking of duties on top of other recently enacted duties such as those imposed under Section 232.
• Phase any new duties in gradually or provide an in-transit exception for goods already en route to the U.S.
• Provide country-specific benchmarks that reduce duties if countries improve relevant practices.
• Ensure stakeholders like IWPA have a second opportunity to provide feedback to USTR once remedial action is proposed.
As if the current uncertainty wasn’t enough, the U.S. Court of International Trade added even more when it found that President Trump’s use of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose temporary 10 percent duties to bridge the gap between IEEPA and what comes next. As of this writing the Trump Administration is appealing that ruling and the duties remain in place for everyone except the plaintiffs that brought the case.
IWPA has faced an unprecedented pace of policy actions over the last few months, and while our staff would certainly appreciate a break from writing comments and testimony, we are proud to represent such a wonderful industry. It can be hard to step back and see all that you have accomplished when you are in the middle of such chaos, but I remain so impressed with the flexibility and resilience of our industry and our members.
If you are interested in getting involved in our advocacy, we would love to find a way to work together. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.
In the meantime, the summer of tariff uncertainty continues.
