America Can Learn from Arkansas

I recently led a group of Western Caucus Congressmen on a tour of Arkansas’ Fourth District to show my colleagues the unique relationship the Natural State has with our natural resources and how we manage and use them to our communities’ advantage. The Western Caucus consists of congressmembers from rural and western states who are invested in policies that particularly affect our constituencies. 

On our tour, we visited both private and federal forested lands to discuss the processes and regulations that surround both, as compared to states like California that suffer from devastating wildfires yearly. In other states, proper forest management is impeded by heavy regulation and environmental lawsuits, which in turn cause millions of dollars in destruction, degraded air and water quality, and often, tragic loss of both human life and wildlife. Members were particularly impressed by our uniquely cooperative relationship with the U.S. Forest Service and expressed their desire to adopt the “Arkansas model” however possible in their home states. 

In addition to protecting our lands, proper forest management leads to a prosperous forestry industry; our most renewable resource. With the proper market forces in place, the U.S. has a remarkable capacity to produce large amounts of lumber. That is why I recently introduced the “No Timber from Tyrants Act,” to prohibit the import of wood products from Russia and Belarus, while ramping up production of American timber, creating good, well-paying jobs and encouraging the proper management of U.S. federal lands.

We must fight against Putin's war of aggression however possible, but ending Russian oil imports is just the beginning. We must cut off Russia's economy at the knees.

Russia is the fourth largest exporter of wood in the world. In 2021, the U.S. imported $459 million in wood products from Russia and $52 million from Belarus, giving Russia the power to channel those funds directly into Putin's war. Instead, we should be investing directly into our rural economies. By immediately banning the import of all Russian timber, we can not only deal a harsh blow to tyranny, but we can also simultaneously boost American industries. By cutting-off a major source of revenue from Vladimir Putin and encouraging more robust timber management in the U.S., we can help stop Putin’s war machine, bring economic opportunity to rural America, and better manage our forested lands to eliminate disastrous wildfires in the future. The “No Timber from Tyrants Act” is a potential major victory for America.

I was proud to show members of Congress the incredible work Arkansas has done to manage our natural resources and give them the tools and information to help follow our lead in their own districts. I want to thank everyone in Arkansas who helped me make this educational tour possible. It certainly won’t be the last time the rest of America can learn from Arkansas’ innovative spirit!