[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 8 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 8

 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding subsidized Canadian lumber 
                                exports.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 7, 2001

   Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Lott, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Cochran, Mr. 
   Hutchinson, Mr. Thurmond, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Craig) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                                Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress regarding subsidized Canadian lumber 
                                exports.

Whereas the Canadian provinces use government timber to subsidize lumber 
        production and employment by providing timber to Canadian lumber 
        companies through noncompetitive, administered pricing arrangements for 
        a fraction of the timber's market value;
Whereas unfair subsidy practices have resulted in shipments of lumber to the 
        United States to the point that subsidized Canadian lumber is being 
        imported into the United States at record levels and now accounts for 
        over one-third of the United States softwood lumber market;
Whereas highly subsidized Canadian lumber imported into the United States has 
        resulted in lost sales for United States lumber companies, depressed 
        United States lumber values, jeopardized thousands of United States 
        jobs, and contributed to a collapse in lumber prices;
Whereas Canadian lumber subsidy practices have been identified by a variety of 
        independent analyses;
Whereas United States Government officials in the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton 
        Administrations, United States industry, timberland owners, and labor 
        unions have called for an end to the subsidies and for fair trade; and
Whereas an agreement between the United States and Canada on lumber trade is 
        scheduled to expire on March 31, 2001: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That the President, the United States Trade Representative, and the 
Secretary of Commerce should--
            (1) make the problem of subsidized Canadian lumber imports 
        a top trade priority to be addressed immediately;
            (2) take every possible action to end Canadian lumber 
        subsidy practices through open and competitive sales of timber 
        and logs in Canada for fair market value, or if Canada will not 
        agree to end the subsidies immediately, provide that the 
        subsidies be offset in the United States; and
            (3) if Canada does not agree to end subsidies for lumber--
                    (A) enforce vigorously, promptly, and fully the 
                trade laws with respect to subsidized and dumped 
                imports;
                    (B) explore all options to stop unfairly traded 
                imports; and
                    (C) limit injury to the United States industry.
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