Cheat Sheet

April 23, 2026

Hardwood Federation and HF Partners Sign Coalition Statement to European Union Leaders: The Hardwood Federation and other members of the US wood products value chain, including several Federation member associations, signed a letter to European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and key cabinet members regarding our continued united support of key changes to the European Union  Deforestation Regulations, primarily the need to make simple, common sense, changes to the current EUDR definition of “plot of land.” The Federation continues to work closely with the American Hardwood Export Council, our member associations, wood products allies in pursuing these changes.

Endangered Species Act Reform Stalls In House: The ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897) was pulled from House floor consideration yesterday as a group of Florida Republicans expressed concern over one aspect of the legislation. Overall, the bill attempts to reform the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to afford greater weight to economic impacts of listing animals and plants as endangered while also limiting environmental group litigation. The component that drew Florida House member opposition was a provision in Section 506 expanding the use of a group of high-level officials, colloquially known as “The God Squad,” that would be empowered to waive ESA mandates in favor of development projects, even when protected species could be put at risk. A primary concern among these mostly coastal district lawmakers was the potential to open up coastal waters to oil and gas drilling.

The lead sponsor of the bill, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), vowed to continue to work on the measure and bring it back for full House consideration later this spring or early summer.

Effort to Include Woody Biomass in RFS Finds New Path: A group of House Republicans are working to include an amendment during next week’s House floor consideration of the Farm Bill that would open up and expand the definition of “renewable biomass” in the national biofuel production mandate known as the Renewable Fuels Standard or RFS. Led by Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR), the amendment would qualify liquid fuels derived from all forest fiber derived from both private and most public lands. In order to receive serious consideration, however, the language would need the consent of House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), whose panel has jurisdiction over all matters related to the Clean Air Act in which this definition is embedded. Thus far, Chairman Guthrie has not waived jurisdiction, but discussions are ongoing. The Hardwood Federation has expressed support for including forest based fiber in the RFS.

US Commercial Webinar For Exporters:  The U.S. Commercial Service, the trade promotion arm of the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration is offering US exporters an opportunity to learn about managing risk, compliance, and trust in global markets us AI. The webinar will cover tips on using AI in the global regulatory landscape and how to manage risk.  For more information and free registration, link here.