AWC Applauds EPA’s Final Rule on Permit Streamlining

WASHINGTON – American Wood Council (AWC) President & CEO Jackson Morrill issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) issuance of the “Once In, Always In” final rule to reclassify certain major sources as area sources under the Clean Air Act.

“This final rule allows mills that can reduce their emissions below Clean Air Act thresholds to escape the regulatory trap that was the old ‘Once In, Always In’ policy. Once emission reductions are achieved, mills will now be free of onerous additional reporting, monitoring and recordkeeping requirements as long as they operate to stay below the statutory cutoffs.

“Creating a pathway to qualify for lower regulatory burdens creates strong incentives for reducing emissions, while boosting the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers, especially smaller mills. AWC thanks EPA for a sensible regulation that will provide the protection of health and the environment, while encouraging further industry air emissions improvements.”

The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, an industry that provides almost 450,000 men and women in the United States with family-wage jobs. AWC represents 86 percent of the structural wood products industry, and members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.
www.awc.org | @woodcouncil

MEDIA CONTACT
Heather Stegner
Vice President, Communications
202-463-4756, hstegner@awc.org