Miller, Colleagues Send Letter to U.S. Department of Commerce to Revisit Regulations on Hardwood Imports
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Ben Cline (R-VA), Rudy Yakym (R-IN), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) sent a letter to the United States Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, asking Commerce to revisit the anti-circumvention inquiry made by the previous administration into imports of hardwood plywood and the impact the certification regime would have on U.S. hardwood companies.
Click here for the full letter.
On the lawmakers’ concern regarding the anti-circumvention inquiry into imports from Vietnam and its impact on the U.S. hardwood industry:
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the International Trade Administration (ITA) have a long-standing trade dispute pending regarding imports of certain hardwood plywood products alleged to have originated in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We strongly support the Trump Administration’s efforts to crack down on unfairly traded imports from China. However, we are concerned that legitimate U.S. importers may become unintended collateral damage in this process because of decisions made by the Biden Administration’s Commerce Department and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Specifically, we are concerned that NWH, Inc., a major U.S.-based operator located in Frisco, TX, which operates sawmills and distributes lumber products while employing approximately 1,000 workers across 12 states, may be unfairly affected by the Biden Administration’s rulings.
The fundamental issue that the entire trade proceeding seeks to resolve is whether the hardwood plywood was produced in Vietnam or China. NWH has provided substantial evidence that it complied with the applicable regulations, which have been included in the case record. NWH closely followed the memo issued by ITA on July 9, 2020, which clarified that “the merchandise subject to these anticircumvention and scope inquiries does not include core veneers fully produced in Vietnam or a third country that are assembled into a veneer core platform in Vietnam and combined with a face and back veneer produced in China.” The company has made significant efforts to verify that the wood product in question was harvested and processed in Vietnam, showing that the plywood cores on the imports in question were composed of wood species native to Vietnam that are not grown in China.
On the importance of revisiting the anti-circumvention inquiry to protect United States companies:
We urge Commerce to seriously consider and accept the extrinsic evidence submitted by importers when making its final decision in the ongoing administrative reviews of these orders. Doing so would be consistent with direction provided by Congress, as the Committee Report issued last year by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2025 included language that makes this recommendation.
We appreciate your consideration as you seek to conclude this administrative action in coming months.
Background:
In October of 2024, Congresswoman Miller and seven of her colleagues sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo expressing their concerns over the anti-circumvention inquiry into imports of hardwood plywood and the impact the certification regime has on U.S. hardwood companies.
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