Today, Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-04) co-sponsored the No Timber From Tyrants Act, legislation to ban imports of forest products from Russia and Belarus. The bill would also ramp up responsible harvesting of American timber, make our forests more resilient, create jobs, and fight back against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Last year, the U.S. imported over $500,000,000 worth of wood products from Russia and Belarus, funding Russia’s economy as they plotted a war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Rep. Owens. “The No Timber From Tyrants Act is a no-brainer to revive American dominance, support Utah’s federal lands, create high-paying jobs, and ensure tyrants like Vladimir Putin stand alone.”
Specifically, the No Timber From Tyrants Act would:
- Ban imports of Russian and Belarusian wood products while Russia continues its violent and senseless war against Ukraine; and
- Improve the health of our nation’s forests and create new jobs by directing the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior to harvest more timber from overgrown, fire-prone federal lands to make up for the lost imports.
The full bill text is available here.