Congressional Champs Meet with AFF Trustees
Congressman Glenn Thompson, (R, PA-5), serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy and Forestry in the House Agriculture Committee, which has jurisdiction over private forest issues, especially those in the Farm Bill. Rep. Thompson also chairs the House Education and Workforce Committee , with jurisdiction over the No Child Left Inside Act.
Chairman Thompson has been a strong ally for AFF, particularly on green building issues and the estate tax. “I believe the estate tax is simply immoral,” Rep. Thompson said. He noted the grave impacts that the estate tax, along with other tax issues have on working family forests. He also noted that, “Wood is the original infrastructure that built our country” and that it should be promoted as the best renewable building resource in green building.
Chairman Thompson also told the AFF Trustees that he will holding hearings on various Farm Bill program issues, including technical assistance delivery, and looks forward to hearing from family forest owners. “I truly appreciate the importance of helping family forest owners continue their family legacy,” he said. You can watch a video of Chairman Thompson speaking with the AFF Trustees here.
Congressman Kurt Schrader, (D,OR-5) serves on the House Agriculture Committee and is the 2nd ranking Democrat on the Conservation, Energy and Forestry Subcommittee of the Agriculture Committee. Rep. Schrader has been a leader and strong supporter of AFF’s public policy priorities, as an original cosponsor of the Forest Carbon Incentives Programs, a champion of forest biomass policies, and as a leader in the House efforts to fix green building policies that discourage the use of wood. He said, “I just don’t get it,” as he talked about the USGBC’s reluctance to promote North American wood from all certification programs – which would include sustainable wood from the American Tree Farm System ®.
In his comments to AFF Trustees, Rep. Schrader said, “We need to put pressure on USGBC to open their minds.” This is part of his overall commitment to “create opportunities for folks in the woods and for U.S. wood products.” Rep. Schrader also noted that he was astounded at how little people know about the role family forest owners play. “I know who the real stewards are,” he said.
Rep. Schrader mentioned several priorities he will pursue to help family forest owners, including advancing market-based approaches to improve stewardship, better integration of federal agencies with jurisdiction over private forests to improve efficiencies, and resuming leadership of the House Healthy Forests Caucus.
