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Following a request by Hardwood Checkoff opponents, the woodworking industry now has until Sept. 7 to submit comments on the proposed program. Hardwood Checkoff would set a tax on lumber producers to help promote wood sales, similar to the “Got Milk?” and “Pork: The Other White Meat” ad programs. Some timber and lumber producers do not want to see the program launched.

The USDA said the 60-day extension will allow “additional time for industry stakeholders and others to review the  supplemental notices and provide feedback” on the proposed Hardwood Lumber and Hardwood Plywood Promotion, Research and Information Order (79 FR 68298). Notice of the extension was listed in the July 1 Federal Register.

The extension was requested by the U.S. Hardwood Industry Coalition, which opposes the checkoff. In a statement, the group’s co-chairmen, Jeff Hanks and Jeff Edwards, said, “We are grateful for USDA’s decision to extend the comment period as the supplemental notice provides additional complexity to the proposed checkoff program and differs substantially from the original proposal issued in 2013.”

The proposed Hardwood Checkoff program was first published in the Federal Register in November 2013, and revised in the spring of 2014. The program has received its share of controversy, with wood industry groups for and against the checkoff voicing their views.

From Woodworking Network: http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/deadline-extended-hardwood-checkoff-comments?ss=news,woodworking_industry_news