Randy Kuhl
voted for the
United States-Peru Trade Promotion Act, a free-trade agreement. This agreement is interesting because it passed on a split vote in a political climate that is becoming more hostile to open trade. One of the reasons the bill passed was the inclusion of a provision for more regulation of Peru's timber industry. According to the
Economist magazine (subscription req'd):
Greens say that under the new system, just like the old, much of the
timber exported from Peru (officially $200m last year) is cut
illegally, with the connivance of the authorities. They have won the
support of the Democrats in the American Congress, who insisted on
inserting a “timber annexe” in the free-trade agreement with Peru. This
gives Peru 18 months to hire more forestry inspectors, set up a
stronger forestry regulator and stiffen penalties for illegal logging.
It will also allow American officials to halt suspicious shipments at
the border, and to visit Peru to see where they come from.
In addition to the notion that free trade "exports jobs", it also is criticized for enabling unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. If Peru actually enforces the treaty (a big "if" considering their track record), at least the latter criticism might be addressed.
Kuhl
voted against the
Homeowners Defense Act, which appropriated money to shore up state insurance programs that protect against natural catastrophes.