Page 10 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Second Quarter 2022

ANNUAL REPORT 2021
H.B. 334 - JOBS Grants and Tax Relief
SPONSORS: Pickett, Saine (Primary)
SUMMARY: This bill originated in the House as the Temp Align PPP Treatment to Federal Treatment and the Senate significantly amended. The current draft of the bill has many provisions, which include a jobs grant program and several tax policy initiatives. Both chambers inserted various provisions of this bill into their versions of the state budget. The NCFA will summarize the final version of the budget conference report.
STATUS: Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate POSITION: Support
H.B. 496 - Property Owners Rights/Tree Ordinances SPONSORS: Boles, Hunter, Brody, Moffitt (Primary)
SUMMARY: This legislation would prohibit local governments from adopting ordinances regulating the removal of trees from private property without the General Assembly’s express authorization.
STATUS: Committee on Rules and Operation of the Senate POSITION: Support
H.B. 951 - Modernize Energy Generation SPONSORS: Arp, Szoka, D. Hall, Bell (Primary)
SUMMARY: This bill would make significant changes to the energy policy in North Carolina if enacted in its current form. In addition to accelerating the retirement of coal-fired generating facilities and designating replacement resources for each of these facilities, the bill contains several provisions the NCFA and its members are concerned about. These provisions include:
• Limiting the Utilities Commission’s authority
• Limiting the level of securitization for remaining coal
unit book values
• Making ratepayers solely liable for new nuclear investments
• Creating a dangerous rebuttable presumption in ratemaking cases
STATUS: Senate Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee POSITION: Opposed as currently drafted
S.B. 605 - North Carolina Farm Act of 2021 SPONSORS: B. Jackson, Sanderson, Edwards (Primary)
SUMMARY: The bill makes various changes to laws applicable
to agriculture, forestry, and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The timber theft provisions in this bill are similar to S.B. 377 - Timber Larceny/Strengthen Laws bill that was filed during the 2019-2020 Session. The NCFA worked with various members and stakeholders on these provisions. Governor Roy Cooper signed this bill into law on July 02, 2021.
STATUS: Session Law 2021-78
Senate Resolution 732 - Confirm Elizabeth Biser as
Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality
The United States Senate confirmed Michael Regan as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday March 10, 2021. The North Carolina Senate voted to confirm Michael Regan’s replacement, Ms. Elizabeth Biser, for Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) on August 24, 2021. DEQ is the lead agency for the protection of North Carolina’s environmental resources.
Environmental Management Commission Appointments
The North Carolina General Assembly passed S.B. 733 - 2021 Appointments Bill on August 31, 2021. Among the many appointments, the President Pro Tempore, Senator Phil Berger, appointed Ms. Jenny Kelvington and Mr. Charles Carter to the Environmental Management Commission (EMC). The Speaker of the House’s appointees to the EMC are Mr. Christopher Duggan and Mr. Steven Keen. The 15-member commission is appointed by the Governor, Senate President Pro Tempore, and the Speaker of the House. It is responsible for adopting rules for the protection and preservation of the state’s air and water resources.
FEDERAL MATTERS
H-2B Guest Worker Visas
On June 24, 2021, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) introduced S.2207 — a bill to increase temporarily the availability of H-2B visas for restoring American forests. The bill would establish
an uncapped, but temporary, carve-out of the H-2B program to permit a surge in workers to address a multi-year backlog in forest management, including wildfire restoration, long-term timber supply, and carbon sinks.
On April 20, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would make an additional 22,000 H-2B visas available, pursuant to Section 105 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Congress passed Section 105 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of Labor to provide supplemental H-2B visas for fiscal year 2021. In accordance with Executive Order 14010 on “Creating a Comprehensive Regional Framework to Address the Causes of Migration, to Manage Migration Throughout North and Central America, and to Provide Safe and Orderly Processing of Asylum Seekers at the United States Border,” 6,000 of these visas were reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Infrastructure
On August 10, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed its version of H.R. 3684 – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bipartisan measure appropriates over a half-trillion dollars for roads, ports, bridges, and rail. Moreover, several key provisions that benefit the forest products industry include:
• A special provision grandfathering the 10,000 lb. tolerance for several North Carolina state roads that are transitioning into the federal interstate system. The NCFA, its member companies, the Carolina Loggers Association, and others have worked extremely hard with the North Carolina Congressional Delegation to educate them on the importance of this issue and we thank them for all of their hard work to date.
• Authorization for a pilot program allowing young drivers (18-21 year olds) to operate trucks interstate upon completion of a rigorous operational and safety training.
• Provisions promoting workforce development in the transportation sector.
Logger Relief Program
On July 22, 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began taking applications for the logger relief program. The application period is now open until October 15, 2021. The American Loggers Council and the Forest Resources Association were active in framing the $200 million Pandemic Assistance for Timber Harvesters and Haulers (PATHH) program. To date, 3,000
8 ncforestry.org / SECOND QUARTER 2022