As calls for anti-deforestation laws grow louder, a new House of Representatives bill aims to ban deforested commodities like palm oil, beef, and chocolate.
While the Trump administration has been lobbying the EU to weaken its deforestation regulation, a group of legislators in the US Congress has proposed a bill that would create the country’s own zero-deforestation law.
Representative Lloyd Doggett introduced the Trade Responsibly for Environmental Emissions Act (TREE) Act last week, which would prohibit the import of commodities linked to lands affected by deforestation or forest degradation since 2020.
The bill is modelled on the EU deforestation regulation (EUDR), which is set to come into effect at the end of this year, after two rounds of delays.
If enacted into law, US companies would not be allowed to bring in products derived from cattle, cocoa, palm oil, rubber, soy, or wood into the country. Doing so would run the risk of a fine amounting to 4% of their turnover in the preceding year.
“The TREE Act will not only protect our forests from those who seek to profit from their destruction, it will also help American businesses by assuring that they are responsible for compliance with a single, uniform set of sustainability trade rules,” said Doggett.
Violators would be ineligible for federal contracts and funding
The bill would prohibit the interstate sale of deforested goods from 2029, and also make it unlawful to falsely label a product as ‘deforestation-free’.
Importers will be required to file a due diligence statement with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), containing the quantity of commodities being imported, conclusive and verifiable information that they are free from deforestation, and whether they come from countries categorised as Levels 1, 2 or 3.
The latter classification would be created by the US Trade Representative, with countries at the highest risk (Level 1) subject to CBP inspection of at least 9% of imports, falling to 3% for Level 2 nations and 1% for Level 3.
This risk categorisation is based on the pace of deforestation and forest degradation, the rate of agricultural land expansion, and production trends for the covered items.
To determine a fine, the Trade Representative would consider the environmental damage caused by the deforested good and the violator’s ability to pay, and ensure that the penalty effectively deprives them of the economic benefits derived from importing the product.
The TREE Act would see the US Treasury direct half of the revenue collected to the general fund, and half to provide technical assistance to underdeveloped Level 1 countries for deforestation and forest degradation management.
Additionally, each deforested item will be confiscated under the law if enacted, and violators would be ineligible to enter into any government contracts to procure goods, materials and services, and be excluded from federal funding, grants and concessions for a 12-month period.
Deforestation bill faces tough path under climate-sceptic administration
According to the UN, the US is responsible for 120,000 hectares of forest loss annually over the last decade. Globally, over 10 million hectares of land are being deforested each year, accounting for up to 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“Forest loss and degradation do not occur in a vacuum: they are driven by outmoded, irresponsible trade practices. From wood pulp to palm oil, the US marketplace is saturated with products that needlessly come at the expense of forests and the invaluable role they play in sustaining life on earth, “said Jennifer Skene, global forest policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“The TREE Act creates long-overdue guardrails that ensure US purchasers aren’t unwittingly purchasing forest destruction alongside their toilet paper and shampoo. It sets up consistent, common-sense trade standards that make the marketplace – and our future – healthier and more resilient.”
The bill likely faces an uphill battle, given the Trump administration’s stance on deforestation and climate change regulation. The USDA has been lobbying stakeholders in European capitals to convince EU member states to reopen the EUDR and introduce a “no risk” classification for some countries, including the US.
This would exempt producers in these countries from traceability requirements and enforcement checks. But a letter from Democratic Representatives – co-led by Doggett – this month argued that this would prevent accountability and impede enforcement, cause significant loopholes for forest degradation, and create disadvantages for countries from the Global South.
The EU has now confirmed that it will go ahead with the implementation of the deforestation law on December 30, 2026. Doggett’s bill – which has been co-sponsored by 21 other Representatives – is designed to position the US as a leader alongside the EU to protect forests, “one of our greatest tools to reduce greenhouse emissions”.
“At a time when too many in power are eager to roll back environmental protections in the US, we support the lawmakers who are standing up for global forests by introducing the TREE Act,” said Alex Armstrong, VP of external affairs at Mighty Earth.
“This legislation would set a new standard for forest protection in global supply chains. The world lost the equivalent of more than 15 football fields of primary forest every minute last year, so we are encouraged to see an ambitious policy proposal – one that is commensurate with the scale of the challenge of global deforestation,” he added.
