Forest Products Fairness Act proposed by US legislators to amend USDA BioPreferred guidelines

In Washington, U.S. Representatives Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) today introduced the Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012, bipartisan legislation that would open new opportunities for American forestry producers by allowing their products to qualify for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Biobased Markets Program, also known as BioPreferred.

The USDA’s Biobased Markets Program was originally designed “to increase the purchase and use of biobased products.” The program requires USDA to set federal procurement standards and a voluntary label for biobased products, which allows producers to market their products as “USDA certified biobased.” As currently implemented by USDA, most forest products are excluded from both the federal procurement preference and the “USDA certified” label. The Forest Products Fairness Act of 2012 would modify the definition of “biobased product” – as defined in the Federal Farm Bill – to include U.S. forest products in the Biobased Markets Program.