Can’t find paper products? Tell Gov. Inslee to allow more construction | Editorial

For every two-by-four cut at a saw mill, a pile of wood chips and sawdust is created and used to make paper products.

If Gov. Jay Inslee would allow all commercial and residential construction to resume, it would put thousands of people back to work and help re-start the economy, as well as help boost the supply of paper towels and toilet paper.

Anyone who has been on the hunt for these items knows how scarce they have become during the past couple of months, so creating more raw material for paper products is a big deal.

Restarting all construction in the state should be among the first actions the governor makes as he gradually lifts his stay-home order, which is scheduled to last until May 4.

We suggest he make an exception to his target date and allow builders to get going right away. They need time to get supplies and get their crews together, and the sooner they can get started, the better.

Job-site supervisors also will have to make sure they have a social distancing plan in place for their workers, and everything they need to make that set-up work.

The good news is we know it can be done because other, more fortunate construction companies are working and complying with social distancing requirements already.

That’s because when Inslee was deciding which essential jobs could continue during his stay-home order, he drew the line at construction work based on what was being built — not conditions at the job site.

So people lucky enough to be working on government jobs — like bridges and schools — could keep going. Construction workers building private homes and commercial projects were forced to stop and apply for unemployment benefits.

The discrepancy has become a source of frustration among those involved in the construction industry.

Inslee said this week that, “I’ve talked to any number of construction workers who don’t want to go on the job, get infected, and go home and infect their families.”

We don’t doubt there are individual construction workers who are worried about COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. But we are hearing a different story from trade groups and leaders in the industry, including the Home Builders Association of the Tri-Cities, which drafted a letter to Inslee asking him to reconsider his stance.

Jeff Losey, the association’s executive director, told the Tri-City Herald the shutdown of home construction will have a domino effect. Not only is the physical act of building on hold, but home builders cannot order supplies because the manufacturers are shutting down too.

And that shutdown eventually affects the manufacturing of toilet paper and paper towels.

The construction stoppage also puts people in limbo. Those who planned on moving to new homes are now being forced to find other ways to put a roof over their heads.

Katrina Sanguino, a counselor at Pasco High School, and her husband, Alejandro, are expecting their first baby in June. They were supposed to move in to a new home in Kennewick, but work on it stopped and the house isn’t finished.

The people who bought their present home will be moving in shortly, and the young couple will have no place to go, so they are considering staying at a hotel.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, told the Tri-City Herald he has heard many sad stories from people who are being forced to find temporary, month-to-month housing — all because of the residential construction stoppage.

Newhouse has questioned why the state will allow progress to be made on the new sports arena in Seattle, but not for new homes. It’s an excellent question.

He and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, wrote a letter to Inslee encouraging him to let construction resume

In their letter, they note that a 2019 report by the Building Industry of Washington found the economic impact of constructing 24,000 single-family homes in Washington in 2018 created more than 103,000 jobs, spurred $2.2 billion in tax revenue and provided $8.4 billion in family wages.

Our economy needs that kind of infusion right now.

Construction workers have shown they know how to comply with social distancing rules and still get their work done. Those who build homes and commercial projects should be allowed the same chance to work as those who are building schools and a sports arena.

And if a boost in construction also leads to a boost in the supply of toilet paper and paper towels, all the better.

This story was originally published April 18, 2020 at 2:00 PM.