Representatives Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Terri Sewell (D-AL) have introduced bipartisan legislation to include solid American hardwood products like flooring and paneling in the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit.

The Solid American Hardwood Tax Credit Act would allow taxpayers to claim tax credits for hardwood materials as qualified energy efficiency improvements, citing hardwood's carbon sequestration properties and role in long-term carbon storage.

"Pennsylvania is blessed with some of the finest hardwoods in the world, which have provided thousands of jobs across the Commonwealth," Rep. Thompson said. "This bill supports the Trump Administration's timber production and housing affordability initiatives, ultimately helping to lower housing costs and strengthen American industry. I look forward to continuing to advocate for domestic hardwood production."

“Alabama’s rich history and association with timber farming and hardwood product sale & production is integral for a strong statewide economy,” Rep. Sewell said. “This legislation will help preserve American jobs in the lumber and hardwood industries by combating bad actors in China that have begun to flood markets with inadequate imitations of U.S.-made products.”

"Without active management, responsible harvesting, and robust markets, the health of our hardwood forests—and the industries and communities that depend on them—are at serious risk.  Providing consumers with a tax credit to purchase real, American-grown, American-manufactured solid hardwood products over cheap, imported substitutes will save thousands of American jobs and small businesses in rural America," said Dallin Brooks, executive director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

The National Hardwood Lumber Association backed the measure, saying tax incentives for American-made hardwood over imports would preserve thousands of jobs and small businesses in rural communities.