Federal Register Vol. 90, No. 43 Thursday, March 6, 2025 |
Presidential Documents |
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Title 3— The President
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Executive Order 14223 of March 1, 2025 Addressing the Threat to National Security From Imports of Timber, Lumber, and Their Derivative Products By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (Trade Expansion Act), it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Policy. The wood products industry, composed of timber, lumber, and their derivative products (such as paper products, furniture, and cabinetry) is a critical manufacturing industry essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States. This industry plays a vital role in key downstream civilian industries, including construction. The United States faces significant vulnerabilities in the wood supply chain from imported timber, lumber, and their derivative products being dumped onto the United States market. The United States has ample timber resources. The current United States softwood lumber industry has the practical production capacity to supply 95 percent of the United States’ 2024 softwood consumption. Yet, since 2016 the United States has been a net importer of lumber. Wood products are a key input used by both the civilian construction industry and the military. Each year, the United States military spends over 10 billion dollars on construction. The military also invests in innovative building material technology, including processes to create innovative wood products such as cross-laminated timber. The procurement of these building materials depends on a strong domestic lumber industry and a manufacturing base capable of meeting both military-specific and wider civilian needs. It is the policy of the United States to ensure reliable, secure, and resilient domestic supply chains of timber, lumber, and their derivative products. Unfair subsidies and foreign government support for foreign timber, lumber, and their derivative products necessitate action under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine whether imports of these products threaten to impair national security. Sec. 2. Investigation. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall initiate an investigation under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine the effects on the national security of imports of timber, lumber, and their derivative products. (b) In conducting the investigation described in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall assess the factors set forth in 19 U.S.C. 1862(d), labeled ‘‘Domestic production for national defense; impact of foreign competition on economic welfare of domestic industries,’’ as well as other relevant factors, including: (i) the current and projected demand for timber and lumber in the United States;
(ii) the extent to which domestic production of timber and lumber can meet domestic demand;
(iii) the role of foreign supply chains, particularly of major exporters, in meeting United States timber and lumber demand;
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