By the authority vested in me as President by the Structure and the legal guidelines of the USA of America, together with part 232 of the Commerce Enlargement Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (Commerce Enlargement Act), it’s hereby ordered:
Part 1. Coverage. The wooden merchandise trade, composed of timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise (akin to paper merchandise, furnishings, and cabinetry) is a crucial manufacturing trade important to the nationwide safety, financial energy, and industrial resilience of the USA. This trade performs an important function in key downstream civilian industries, together with development.
America faces vital vulnerabilities within the wooden provide chain from imported timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise being dumped onto the USA market.
America has ample timber assets. The present United States softwood lumber trade has the sensible manufacturing capability to provide 95 % of the USA’ 2024 softwood consumption. But, since 2016 the USA has been a internet importer of lumber.
Wooden merchandise are a key enter utilized by each the civilian development trade and the navy. Annually, the USA navy spends over 10 billion {dollars} on development. The navy additionally invests in progressive constructing materials expertise, together with processes to create progressive wooden merchandise akin to cross-laminated timber. The procurement of those constructing supplies will depend on a robust home lumber trade and a producing base able to assembly each military-specific and wider civilian wants.
It’s the coverage of the USA to make sure dependable, safe, and resilient home provide chains of timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise. Unfair subsidies and overseas authorities help for overseas timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise necessitate motion underneath part 232 of the Commerce Enlargement Act to find out whether or not imports of those merchandise threaten to impair nationwide safety.
Sec. 2. Investigation. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall provoke an investigation underneath part 232 of the Commerce Enlargement Act to find out the results on the nationwide safety of imports of timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise.
(b) In conducting the investigation described in subsection (a) of this part, the Secretary of Commerce shall assess the elements set forth in 19 U.S.C. 1862(d), labeled “Home manufacturing for nationwide protection; influence of overseas competitors on financial welfare of home industries,” in addition to different related elements, together with:
(i) the present and projected demand for timber and lumber in the USA;
(ii) the extent to which home manufacturing of timber and lumber can meet home demand;
(iii) the function of overseas provide chains, notably of main exporters, in assembly United States timber and lumber demand;
(iv) the influence of overseas authorities subsidies and predatory commerce practices on United States timber, lumber, and by-product product trade competitiveness;
(v) the feasibility of accelerating home timber and lumber capability to scale back imports; and
(vi) the influence of present commerce insurance policies on home timber, lumber, and by-product product manufacturing, and whether or not extra measures, together with tariffs or quotas, are vital to guard nationwide safety.
Sec. 3. Required Actions. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall seek the advice of with the Secretary of Protection and the heads of different related government departments and companies as decided by the Secretary of Commerce to judge the nationwide safety dangers related to imports of timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise.
(b) No later than 270 days after the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit a report back to the President that features:
(i) findings on whether or not imports of timber, lumber, and their by-product merchandise threaten nationwide safety;
(ii) suggestions on actions to mitigate such threats, together with potential tariffs, export controls, or incentives to extend home manufacturing; and
(iii) coverage suggestions for strengthening the USA timber and lumber provide chain by means of strategic investments and allowing reforms.
Sec. 4. Definitions. As used on this order:
(a) The time period “timber” refers to wooden that has not been processed.
(b) The time period “lumber” refers to wooden that has been processed, together with wooden that has been milled and lower into boards or planks.
Sec. 5. Common Provisions. (a) Nothing on this order shall be construed to impair or in any other case have an effect on:
(i) the authority granted by legislation to an government division or company, or the top thereof; or
(ii) the capabilities of the Director of the Workplace of Administration and Funds referring to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be applied in line with relevant legislation and topic to the provision of appropriations.
(c) This order will not be supposed to, and doesn’t, create any proper or profit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at legislation or in fairness by any occasion towards the USA, its departments, companies, or entities, its officers, staff, or brokers, or every other individual.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 1, 2025.
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