[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 126 (Monday, September 23, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S6681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ENERGY SAVINGS AND INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS ACT


                            Forest Products

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to speak 
today and offer some clarity about the treatment of wood products in 
the amendment that Senator Wicker and Senator Landrieu have offered 
with regard to green building standards. I commend Senator Wicker for 
his hard work on this amendment, which will update the current EISA 
statute to reflect the evolution of green building rating systems and 
create a more strategic approach for the Federal Government so that we 
have the highest performing, most efficient, and most cost-effective 
buildings while also taking advantage of an abundant domestic resource.
  Mr. WICKER. The amendment I have introduced with Senator Landrieu 
addresses a number of issues that are important to America's forest 
products industry. In particular, the amendment specifies that the 
Department of Energy and the General Services Administration must allow 
the use of multiple green building rating systems. A voluntary standard 
endorsed by the Federal Government can wield immense influence over 
green building specifications in the Federal sector and broader 
commercial marketplace. DOE and GSA must support competition and allow 
the free market to produce the best energy-efficient buildings at the 
lowest costs.
  The intention of section 406(3)(G) of our amendment is to direct GSA 
and DOE to adopt a policy that provides equitable treatment to all 
domestic sources of sustainable wood. It is simply unacceptable for the 
Federal Government to endorse a standard that discriminates against 
domestically sourced, sustainable U.S. wood.
  Wood is an ideal green building material because it is renewable, 
stores carbon, and is energy efficient. According to objective 
criteria, the majority of the domestic wood products industry is 
sustainably managed and endorsed internationally. In addition, the 
forest products industry employs nearly 1 million men and women in 
well-paying jobs, including more than 123,000 in my home State of 
Mississippi. There is no reason to shut out the wood products being 
produced in our own backyard in favor of imported substitutes. Our 
intention is to provide an equal playing field that keeps Mississippi 
wood--as well as wood from other states--a vital component of federal 
green building policy.
  Mr. PORTMAN. I agree with the Senator. We have a lot of hard-working 
Americans who are employed by this industry, and we need to ensure that 
there is a level playing field for them so that the Federal 
Government's green building policy doesn't stand in the way of bringing 
sustainably produced domestic wood to market. I would also emphasize 
that wood is a vital component of sound architectural design and 
construction, in addition to being a renewable resource that sequesters 
huge amounts of carbon. This amendment strengthens our bill by making 
clear that green building programs avoid discriminatory or arbitrary 
provisions and ensuring that they consider environmental impacts across 
the entire life cycle of a building material or product by 
incorporating Life Cycle Assessment.
  Mr. WICKER. I thank the Senator. We believe this amendment is a step 
forward to ensure GSA and DOE's green building policies support 
domestically sourced wood. I look forward to working with the Senator 
and committee leadership as this legislation moves forward.

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