[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1197-E1198]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     END PALM OIL DEFORESTATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 4, 2021

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I introduce the ``End Palm Oil 
Deforestation Act,'' which would incentivize all palm oil products 
imported into the United States to be certified by credible third-party 
standards for lawful, ethical, and sustainable sourcing of palm oil 
like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. My bill would also 
prohibit American taxpayer dollars from funding destructive practices 
or forced labor for palm oil cultivation.
  As President Biden stated this week in his address at the 2021 United 
Nations Climate Change Conference--known as ``COP26''--tropical forests 
worldwide are a significant carbon sink increasingly lost to 
deforestation. The United States and all countries must act as 
responsible stewards of this resource.
  Unsustainably cultivated palm oil--used in a variety of food 
products, cosmetics, and biofuels--is one of the primary drivers of 
tropical deforestation worldwide. Remarkably, imported palm oil has 
virtually no requirements under federal law to demonstrate that it is 
cultivated and harvested sustainably or even legally in the country of 
origin. At the 40th Session of the International Civil Aviation 
Organization (ICAO) Assembly in 2019, the global aviation sector 
committed to transition towards the use of advanced biofuels. As the 
commercialize airline industry makes this transition to purportedly 
``sustainable aviation fuels,'' the global demand for palm oil is only 
set to increase. That is why we must act immediately to ensure that 
only sustainably and ethically sourced palm oil is be sold in the 
United States.
  My ``End Palm Oil Deforestation Act'' would establish a preference 
under federal law for imports of certified sustainable palm oil and 
palm oil products. It would also require that all palm oil products, 
whether food, cosmetics, or fuel, bear a label stating their country of 
origin, allowing American consumers to make informed decisions. In 
addition, my bill would remove palm oil from eligibility under the 
grandfathered facility clause of the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) under which unsustainable,

[[Page E1198]]

foreign-sourced palm oil is allowed into the RFS program. Congress 
always intended for the RFS to support domestic biofuel production, not 
imports.
  I appreciate that oil palm trees have the potential to provide 
efficient, low-carbon oil, but the United States must take a stand 
against human rights abuses and destructive cultivation practices that 
set us back in our efforts to combat climate change and global 
deforestation. American foreign relief, including financing provided 
under the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, cannot support 
unsustainable practices, enable foreign corruption, or contribute to 
forced labor, child labor, or the displacement of indigenous peoples.
  Madam Speaker, the United States must ensure that palm oil imports 
are grown in a lawful, sustainable, ethical, and responsible manner. I 
urge all Members to join me in cosponsoring the ``End Palm Oil 
Deforestation Act.''

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