Virginia's Paper and Wood Products Industry

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the paper and wood products industry in Virginia, which employs over 1,500 men and women in my district; and I wish to recognize the achievements of the industry in improving purchased energy efficiencies.

Sustainability is inherent to the pulp, paper, packaging, tissue, and wood products manufacturing industry. These products are made from renewable and recyclable resources, and these companies have a good track record of managing natural resources in order to ensure that they can continue making useful products in the future.

In 2011, the industry established the Better Practices, Better Planet 2020 initiative, pursuing one of the most extensive sets of sustainability goals established for a U.S. manufacturing industry. This week, the American Forest and Paper Association is releasing their 2016 report on the industry's performance.

The industry has improved their purchased energy use per ton of production by 8.1 percent in 2014 compared to the 2005 baseline year, nearing the goal of at least a 10 percent improvement--and some pulp and paper mills are largely energy self-sufficient. In 2014, 15 percent of electricity needed to power manufacturing processes was self- generated, in some cases supplying energy to the electric utility grid.

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating this industry on taking steps to improve environmental performance, continued economic progress, and support of our communities. I am proud of this industry's progress and their continued commitment to advance sustainability performance and the fact that they provide jobs throughout the United States.

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