WASHINGTON – The American Wood Council (AWC) President and CEO Robert Glowinski and American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statements following today's U.S. House of Representatives vote on the Ozone Standards Implementation Act (H.R. 4775), which would prevent rushed implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2015 national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) ozone standard. The bill was led by Reps. Pete Olson (R-TX), Bill Flores (R-TX), Steve Scalise (R-LA), Bob Latta (R-OH), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

Robert Glowinski, President and CEO, AWC:
"We support clean air and realistic, science-based air quality standards. This bill provides a common-sense approach for implementing NAAQS and recognizes ongoing state efforts to improve air quality through a reasonable implementation schedule. The legislation's permitting relief and other reforms are also an important step toward air standards that balance environmental protection and economic development. AWC thanks Congressman Olson and the lead sponsors for their leadership on H.R. 4775."

Donna Harman, President and CEO, AF&PA:
"Our industry has already invested billions of dollars to help make our air cleaner while making products essential for everyday life. The bipartisan legislation will allow air quality improvements to continue without causing local communities to miss out on new jobs and economic growth as industry sectors face the risk of becoming uncompetitive in the global marketplace. We thank the House for passing H.R. 4775 and encourage the U.S. Senate to take swift action on the bill as well."