Jun 27, 2012. /Lesprom Network/. The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman released the following statement on Supreme Court decision to review the Ninth Circuit court decision to require National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for logging activity on forest roads. “We commend the Supreme Court for reviewing the Ninth Circuit’s erroneous opinion. If the decision stands, EPA will be forced to work around a process that has protected the environment for nearly 40 years. This would be an unnecessary waste of resources at a time when the agency is facing dozens of other more pressing issues. “Any administrative action by EPA will take months if not years to be implemented and will be open to court challenge. The forest products industry needs the certainty that a favorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling brings. Without it, confusion will permeate the compliance process and disrupt the fiber supply chain that allows our industry to operate. “We look forward to providing our brief to the Supreme Court, and I hope that they consider how their decision will affect the nearly 900,000 men and women employed by the paper and wood products industry.” The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing pulp, paper, packaging and wood products manufacturers, and forest landowners.