Your Vote Is Your Voice 2022 Election

By DANA COLE, Executive Director Hardwood Federation

In case you missed it, 2022 is an election year. Incumbents and candidates at all levels of government are already on the campaign trail, trying to convince voters they are the best option to address the myriad of issues and challenges we, as individuals and as a nation, face today.

But as we have witnessed over the past few elections, voters have become unpredictable, and no one should consider the November outcome a foregone conclusion.

At the federal level, each and every one of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives is up for grabs. Although the vast majority of incumbents are running to retain their seats, more than 50 have opted to retire or to leave early for other opportunities. More have been and will be defeated during the primary season. In the Senate, 34 of 100 seats are on the ballot; six incumbents have announced their retirement, with one additional Senator retiring in early 2023 before the end of his term. Democrats hold the majority in the House and Senate and, of course, hold the White House, but razor-thin margins in both chambers make for a fascinating election cycle, and the pundits are having a field day. Combined with global economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and a war in Europe, the U.S., many believe the electorate is poised to make some changes in November. But as we have witnessed over the past few elections, voters have become unpredictable, and no one should consider the November outcome a foregone conclusion.

The legislative agenda for Congress is complicated by the fact that there are relatively few working days between now and the election . . . less than 25 days when both House and Senate will be in session . . . and by a typical hesitancy to take tough votes so close to the second Tuesday in November. This limited time will be focused on debating and preparing budget bills to fund 2023 federal government operations and programs and addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine. And, of course, the debate continues about how to address inflation and the increasing cost of living for Americans, further eating into limited hours.

In many ways, this period is best used as a time to prepare for the next Congress and the year or so window of opportunity to make real progress. Congressional offices and advocacy organizations alike start looking towards the coming year and establishing their priorities.

For the Hardwood Federation, a major agenda item in 2023 will be to influence negotiations related to the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, the massive piece of legislation reviewed and renewed every five years. Harvesting timber.

Above: Combine harvester harvests ripe wheat.

Left: Oak Biomass

The Farm Bill includes a Forestry subtitle that covers a number of programs and policies related to the hardwood industry. While we are just starting to think about how the Farm Bill can better serve the hardwood industry, there are a few items we will almost certainly be addressing, including:

• Maintaining or increasing funding for export promotion programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Including hardwood products in federal carbon accounting systems and programs.

• Improving the U.S. Forest Service’s capacity to manage federal lands, including meeting regional timber harvest objectives and funding state and local partnership programs.

• Maintaining or increasing funding for the Wood Innovation Grant programs and including specific hardwood projects.

• Maintaining programs that promote biomass energy and deploying heating and power systems that rely on wood-based biomass fuel.

• Supporting programs that incentive private woodland owners to keep forests as forests.

While the Farm Bill will be a priority, other issues will certainly emerge, and we will work with our Board of Directors and industry members to identify and address them. And as always, we will need every individual involved in the U.S. hardwood industry to get involved and engaged. As we develop strategies and outreach materials, we will share them widely. As one cycle ends, we look forward to positive action and outcomes in the next!

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