Reps. Yakym, Costa introduce bipartisan bill to streamline wood supply chain

Tuesday, Congressman Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02) and Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA-21) introduced the Strengthen Wood Product Supply Chains Act, a bill aimed at improving the process for wood importers to more efficiently move their lawfully harvested timber products through our ports.

“This legislation is a commonsense solution to ensure legally harvested wood imports are not unnecessarily stranded at our ports due to bureaucratic inefficiencies,” Rep. Yakym said. “Streamlining this process will protect American businesses, reduce construction delays, and save the wood industry millions while still upholding the integrity of the Lacey Act.” 

“For small businesses in the San Joaquin Valley, waiting around for months because of red tape is not just frustrating—it’s costly,” Rep. Costa said. “This bill brings much-needed clarity and fairness to the Lacey Act by setting clear timelines for how quickly federal agencies must act when holding imported goods. It will help businesses stay open and keep things moving without unnecessary delays.”

“Genesis Products is proud of our wood products compliance procedures, and we are grateful to Representatives Yakym and Costa for introducing this important legislation to help protect the foundational aspects of the Lacey Act but also provide our company the regulatory clarity we need to do business right,” Bryan Courtney, Director of Industrial Products at Genesis Products in Goshen, IN said. “Their work will help us continue to provide U.S. manufacturers with the highest quality wood products while avoiding unnecessary supply chain delays that drive up costs.”

“For more than a decade, U.S. businesses that source wood products have developed strong Lacey Act compliance programs, yet have faced unspecified delays and higher costs due to lack of clear procedures for the administration of the Lacey Act at our nation’s ports,” IWPA Executive Director Ashley Amidon said. “This critical legislation provides the well-defined structure our businesses need to keep vital products flowing while clarifying enforcement procedures.  Thank you, Representatives Yakym and Costa, for championing solutions to support U.S. businesses.” 

Full bill text is available here. 

Background: 

The Lacey Act of 1900 is one of our nation’s first conservation laws. For 125 years, it has prevented illegally harvested plants and animals from entering the US market. This includes protections for imported wood products that may come from illegal logging operations overseas. 

However, over the past few years, wood importers have begun to have difficulty getting their imports through US ports. The three government agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), have coordination problems that cause import delays. This leads to valuable merchandise being stranded at our ports while importers attempt to convince three separate agencies that their products are not illegal. 

These delays can cost millions of dollars each and cause construction delays that are, in many cases, even more expensive. 

Summary: 

This bill requires the agencies charged with Lacey Act enforcement to make reasonable administrative adjustments to ensure that wood importers are not fighting to get their lawfully harvested products back from being stranded at our ports. 

The legislation would require that importers be notified within five days if their product has been detained, along with a specific reason for such detention. Agencies will also be required to work with the importer by describing the information they need to provide to accelerate the detention disposition.

After ten days, the importer must also be allowed to transfer their product outside the US if they choose. Agencies must decide within 30 days whether to seize or release the merchandise to the importer. 

In the event of seizure, the legislation also outlines a process to appeal the decision.