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 REGULATORY NEWS
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Federal Judge Stops Overtime Rule
U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant issued a nationwide injunction against the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime rule on November 22. The Texas federal judge declared the regulation unlawful, as federal law uses more than just pay level to determine if an employee is eligible for overtime. The new rule created "a de facto salary-only test" which is not in the statute. The new regulation would have made salaried employees earning up to $47,476 per year eligible for overtime, up from $23,660.
Source: Construction Dive, November 23, 2016.
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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Drought Kills 102 Million Trees
After the most recent aerial survey, the U.S. Forest Service estimated that 6 years of drought in California has left 102 million dead trees across 7.7 million acres of forest. "The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history," said Randy Moore, a USDA forester. He added that trees are dying "at a rate much quicker than we thought." Bark beetle infestation and warmer temperatures also contributed to the tree deaths.
Source: My Science Academy, November 23, 2016. Photo © USFS Region 5.
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ECONOMIC NEWS
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Trump's Promise To Revive Oregon’s Timber Industry
During a pre-election campaign visit to Eugene, OR, Donald Trump stated that Oregon's timber jobs had been cut in half since 1990. While he was not specific, he alluded to loosening federal regulations as a means to revive the industry. Oregon's timber industry has faced severe restrictions against logging in federal forests for decades.
Source: The Daily Astorian, November 17, 2016.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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First Decision Expected In January On Chinese Anti-Dumping Petition
A coalition of American hardwood plywood manufacturers filed an anti-dumping petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission. The petition asserts that Chinese producers of hardwood plywood receive illegal subsidies from the Chinese government which cause substantial injury to the U.S. industry. In early January, the Commerce Department and ITC are expected to provide a preliminary determination on how to proceed.
Source: HPVA®, Coalition for Fair Trade of Hardwood Plywood, November 2016.
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Chinese "Formaldehyde-Free" Adhesive Emits Formaldehyde
China has introduced a "formaldehyde-free" adhesive technology for the production of hardwood plywood. It claims that plywood produced using this technology emits formaldehyde at a 0.015 ppm rate, which is lower than the 0.05 ppm CARB standard.
Source: Wood Floor Business, November 16, 2016.
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HPVA® MEMBER NEWS
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Danzer Invests $1.4 Million
Danzer successfully completed a $1.4 million investment in its Darlington, PA plant to increase capacity for sliced flooring deck layers. Danzer is now able to produce sliced flooring deck layers from all major North American species close to the resource. "High-value North American species like American walnut benefit even more from the better resource efficiency of our slicing process," said Greg Lottes, CEO of Danzer Veneer Americas. The 4 new drying kilns will reach their full capacity of 50,000 to 60,000 m² deck layers per month in 2017.
Source: Danzer, November 29, 2016. Photo © Danzer.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
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HFF Plants More Walnut & Oak Trees
Congratulations to The Hardwood Forestry Funds's two 2017 grant recipients! Blackburn College's Mahan Forestry Project will use its grant to reestablish the black walnut on previously grazed land and plans to plant more than 27,000 seedlings. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will plant walnut and oak seedlings to create a larger block of forestland and improve the wildlife habitat at the Goose Lake Wildlife Management Area.
Source: Hardwood Forestry Fund.
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NEWS BRIEFS
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Trump's Policies May Cause Shortage Of Construction Workers
The 20% of construction workers lacking documents face an uncertain future under the new administration. Only 23 states added construction jobs in October.
Source: Construction Dive, November 21; Construction Dive, November 14, 2016.
Strong Housing News
Privately-owned housing starts rose to 25.5% above the revised September rate. New multifamily units are expected to stay flat in Q1.
Source: Construction Dive, Construction Dive, November 22; U.S. Census Bureau News, November 17, 2016.
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U.S. Softwood Producers File Suit
U.S. softwood companies alleged that Canadian producers are selling at artificially low prices.
Source: Kelowna Now, November 25, 2016.
Lumber Liquidators Settles Lawsuits
On November 17, the company paid more than $50 million to settle 2 lawsuits.
Source: Wood Floor, November 21, 2016.
Sweden Says No To Myanmar
Swedish courts ruled that a certificate from the Myanmar Forest Products Merchant’s Federation was not adequate proof of legal harvest.
Source: Timberbiz, November 24, 2016.
Brazil Legal Wood Exchange Opens
BVRio Responsible Timber Exchange promotes trading legal timber. A legal timber due diligence risk assessment system is built into the platform.
Source: BVRio, November 2016.
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Portland To Build Tall Timber Tower
The 12-story engineered-wood building would be the nation's first tall timber tower.
Source: ENRNorthwest, October 17, 2016.
Global Anti-Greenwashing Campaign
Two Sides stepped up efforts to stop unsupported anti-print and anti-paper claims.
Source: Two Sides, November 23, 2016.
Alaska Airlines Uses Forest Fuel
The airline's recent flight used a renewable jet fuel with a 20% blend of forest residuals, including tree branches.
Source: Timberbiz, November 16, 2016.
New Biotech Adhesive
Scion won an award for a new wood products adhesive made from forest and agricultural waste, with no petrochemicals and very low formaldehyde emissions.
Source: WBPI, November 3, 2016.
EPA To Publish Formaldehyde Rule
The rule restricting formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products will be published this week.
Source: Bloomberg BNA, November 23, 2016.
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Send Us Your Company News, Ideas For Articles, And More
We are always looking for great stories, news about your company, and interesting multimedia. We also welcome feedback on this week's content and suggestions for topics you would like to see in upcoming HPVA® eNews. Email us at innovate@hpva.org.
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