WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), along with Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Orrin Hatch (R-UT),  today introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that provides new opportunities for American forestry producers by allowing their products to qualify for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BioPreferred Program.

The USDA BioPreferred Program was created to provide new markets for farm commodities and encourage consumers to purchase environmentally-friendly biobased products. Despite the sustainability of wood, pulp and paper products, the USDA has not designated these products as a USDA Certified Biobased Products.  The Forest Products Fairness Act would allow domestic forestry products to be labeled as biobased so they could receive increased consumer attention as well as federal government procurement preference. This designation would also level the playing field between domestically-produced wood products and imported products such as Chinese bamboo, which is already eligible for the biobased label and used as a “green” alternative for hardwood flooring or lumber.

“From timber to paper and pulp, Maine’s vast forest land is a tremendous source of value for our state’s economy and way of life,” Collins said.  “I strongly support this bill because it would help dramatically expand the market for our domestic forest products by rightfully creating a level playing field with other biobased and foreign products.”

“Maine is one of the most forested states in the nation and our forest-based industry plays an instrumental role in the vitality of our state’s economy,” said King. “By finally labeling forest products as what they truly are – biobased products – this bipartisan, common-sense measure will level the playing field for Maine’s foresters and help them to continue thriving in the global economy.”

The BioPreferred Program was originally created by the 2002 Farm Bill to increase the purchase and use of biobased products.  Under the program, every federal agency is required to rank their preference of biobased products for purchasing decisions.  To increase consumer recognition of biobased products, the program also created voluntary labeling.  Since the program’s inception, the USDA has designated more 33 items, representing nearly 3,000 products, as biobased products.

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