Max Baucus: “I rise today to discuss the U.S.-Canadian dispute on softwood lumber. Although it might have escaped the attention of…”

“I rise today to discuss the U.S.-Canadian dispute on softwood lumber. Although it might have escaped the attention of many in Washington, the Bush administration announced a critical trade policy decision over the August recess. After considering truck loads of evidence provided by a legion of lawyers, the Department of Commerce once again decided that Canadian provinces giving away timber at a fraction of its value was a subsidy to Canadian lumber production. Specifically, the Commerce Department issued a preliminary finding that these subsidies amounted to 19.3 percent of the value of Canadian lumber. Further, the Commerce Department took the unusual step of declaring critical circumstances, which back dates the duties by 90 days. It did this because it determined Canadian producers were flooding the U.S. market--in an attempt to take advantage of the expiration of the previous U.S.-Canada agreement on this topic. The Commerce Department is due to issue another preliminary finding under another U.S. fair trade law, antidumping law, in the middle of October.”