Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Congressman Bruce Westerman proposed legislation Thursday that would ban imports of wood products from Russia and Belarus. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) expressed support for Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) “No Timber from Tyrants Act.” The legislation would ban wood imports of wood products from Russia and Belarus while ramping up responsible harvesting of American timber from federal lands.
“Rep. Westerman’s ‘No Timber from Tyrants Act’ is a moral and economic imperative that needs to be enacted immediately,” NAHB Chairman Jerry Konter said. “At the same time, the legislation also calls for responsibly increasing domestic lumber production from federal lands to address the resiliency of our national forests, create jobs, reinvigorate the forest industry and improve housing affordability. Time is of the essence and Congress must act swiftly on this bill.”
In 2021, the U.S. imported more than half-a-billion dollars’ worth of wood products from Russia ($459 million) and Belarus ($52 million).
