By prohibiting the import of commodities and products derived from lands affected by deforestation or forest degradation, this bill is designed to position the United States as a leader together with the European Union in the struggle to protect one of our greatest tools to reduce greenhouse emissions: our forests.
I will establish U.S. import standards that prohibit commodities and products linked to deforestation or forest degradation from entering the market.
Occurrences
To prohibit the import of certain goods produced, sourced, made, or otherwise derived from deforestation and the sale of such items in interstate commerce, and for other purposes.
Evidence
Rep. Lloyd Doggett said the TREE Act would prohibit the import of commodities and products derived from lands affected by deforestation or forest degradation, and the House website described it as a new bill introduction.
The bill text states: “To prohibit the import of certain goods produced, sourced, made, or otherwise derived from deforestation and the sale of such items in interstate commerce,” and provides enforcement, due diligence, and inspection provisions; it was introduced and referred to committee.
Assessments
Doggett materially pursued the promise by introducing the TREE Act, whose text would have created the stated U.S. import restrictions on goods tied to deforestation or forest degradation. But the evidence shows only bill introduction and committee referral, not enactment or implementation of a federal import standard. Under the federal candidate-credit rule, this is a serious legislative attempt without successful delivery, so the promise is best scored as never fulfilled with effort credit.
Doggett materially advanced the promised policy by introducing the TREE Act, which directly proposed prohibiting imports of commodities and products linked to deforestation or forest degradation and included enforcement and due diligence provisions. However, the evidence only shows introduction and referral to committee, not enactment or implementation of binding U.S. import standards. Because the promised outcome was to establish the standards, not merely propose them, this is a failed but serious legislative attempt.