[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1667]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNITION OF ANTHONY TIMBERLANDS AND ARKANSAS FORESTRY PRODUCERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Cotton) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COTTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with good news from south 
Arkansas.
  According to recent news reports, Anthony Timberlands, a cornerstone 
of the Arkansas timber and forestry products industry, is currently in 
the process of adding a second shift to its sawmill in Bearden, 
Arkansas. This second shift will result in the hiring of 65 new 
employees in addition to creating numerous other support positions 
within the company and in the surrounding area of south Arkansas.
  I want to recognize Anthony Timberlands for this exciting 
announcement and their longstanding commitment to the people and the 
economy of south Arkansas. But as I reflect on Anthony Timberlands' 
announcement, I can't help but think of how many more jobs could have 
been added throughout Arkansas and the United States if it weren't for 
the excessive regulation of the Obama administration.
  For example, States have worked in conjunction with the Federal 
Government for 40 years to manage forest roads and prevent pollution 
with State-managed best practices. This partnership has proven 
effective and provided regulatory certainty for many decades. 
Unfortunately, President Obama's EPA wants to impose a nationwide 
standard, giving them the complete regulatory authority over an 
industry that supports nearly 3 million workers and contributes $115 
billion to our economy each year.
  Under this standard, the EPA will be able to shut down businesses 
that don't comply with their arbitrary and misguided rules. States have 
a 40-year track record of effectively regulating these roads, and we 
should let them continue for at least another 40.
  To take another example, the EPA's new boiler rule demonstrates this 
administration's preference for ideology over sound economics and 
business sense. With compliance costs in excess of $3 billion and 
105,000 jobs threatened, this rule inflicts unnecessary costs on our 
economy at a time when we can least afford it.
  In addition, our timber producers have no guarantee that EPA won't 
move the goalpost once again and reopen the regulations as they have in 
the past. What timber and forestry product companies want--what all 
businesses want, for that matter--is certainty, not more regulation. 
They need to know that investment in a new factory or new equipment 
today means they can keep using it once it's built instead of living in 
fear of the government closing their doors tomorrow.

                              {time}  1040

  These companies aren't asking for special preferences or another $800 
billion in failed stimulus funds; they're simply asking for predictable 
and fair rule of law, not arbitrary regulation.
  Mr. Speaker, companies like Anthony Timberlands provide quality jobs 
and lasting economic growth for places like south Arkansas and the rest 
of America, despite the obstacles the Obama administration has put in 
their place. I look forward to working with my colleagues to eliminate 
burdensome regulations and red tape that slow growth, hurt communities 
and diminish opportunity. We should celebrate companies that empower 
hardworking Americans to do what they do best: create high quality 
products that lead the world.

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