Golden, colleagues lead bipartisan congressional push to delay EU point-of-origin rule, protect Maine forest products industry

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) signed a bipartisan letter this week requesting the president call for a twenty-four month delay to the European Union’s (E.U.) new deforestation regulation (EUDR), which threatens untenable data requirements on responsible American businesses.

The letter was signed by 72 other House members. 

“Like you, Congress strongly supports efforts to combat deforestation throughout the globe. However, with less than four months left before enforcement of EUDR many questions from U.S. stakeholders remain unanswered…” the lawmakers wrote. “...While we collect and share an immense amount of data and information already, compliance with EUDR will require significant changes in how we collect, share, and report data – something that cannot happen overnight.”

“The United States is a global leader in modern sustainable forest management, and we are deeply concerned that well-intentioned regulations from Europe will disincentivize the huge investments U.S. forest owners have made in the long-term health and sustainability of our forest resources,” they continued. “We all must work together to effectively address global deforestation. However, failure to immediately address stakeholder questions and concerns could have significant negative economic effects on both producers and customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Starting on December 20, the EUDR will mandate new point-of-origin reporting requirements for goods exported to the E.U. to ensure production does not contribute to global deforestation. This includes exact geographic location coordinates to specific plots of land, despite the fact that current technology is unable to trace the source of blended forest products such as wood chips.

Moreover, the E.U. has still yet to provide complete guidance for manufacturers seeking to meet the new standards, leaving questions about the EUDR’s strict geolocation traceability requirements given the pulp and paper industry’s complex supply chain. 

Implementation could prevent American-made forest products from reaching the E.U.’s market — devaluing U.S. timberlands and decimating domestic manufacturing in the process. U.S. forest product exports to the E.U. are valued at $3.5 billion.

“Twin Rivers Paper has a long history of environmental stewardship and steadfast support of sustainable forestry. All papers we produce are certified to Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) fiber sourcing standards and we also ensure compliance with and certification of standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC),” Tyler Rajeski, president and CFO of Twin Rivers Paper in Madawaska said. “Although multiple North American trade and industry resources are actively engaged in the EUDR compliance process, we support and applaud the Congressional request for an extension of time to ensure adequate supply chain and systems exist for all parties to comply.”

European leaders have also voiced criticism towards the rule’s rushed implementation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for the EUDR to be postponed earlier this month, while food and agriculture minister Cem Oezdemir warned that it could break critical supply chains. The U.S. supplies 85 percent of the pulp used in sanitary products like tissues and menstrual products worldwide. 

Full text of the letter can be found here.

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