House Ways and Means Democrats Decry Peruvian Forestry Regulation Move

All of the Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee, from the left and center wings of the party, sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Dec. 19, saying Peru has made "a flagrant attack on the heart of the [U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (Peru Trade Agreement)'s] Forestry Annex that cannot go unchallenged." They asked the administration to take enforcement measures if Peru does not reverse course by the end of this week.

At issue is the decision to move the forest auditor into another ministry, effective Dec. 14. The 16 Congress members, led by incoming committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said that the provisions of the forestry annex helped ensure passage of the Peru Trade Agreement. They said an independent forest auditor is necessary "due to Peru's history of subjugating objective efforts at enforcement to political concerns." They said they have not seen any audits of timber harvest and trade, either. "Congress continues to demand that Peru address the crisis of deforestation and rampant illegal logging," they wrote.