WASHINGTON, June 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Lumber Coalition released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce announcement of antidumping duties related to Canadian companies dumping Canadian softwood lumber products in the United States. The Department's decision is a preliminary finding and now the case will be subject to additional investigation before a final decision on the dumping margins is made by the Department in September.

"We applaud the Department of Commerce's decision to take further action against Canada's unfair trading practices and restore fair trade for U.S. lumber producers,' said U.S. Lumber Coalition spokesperson, Zoltan van Heyningen. "For years, Canada has unfairly distorted the softwood lumber market with billions of dollars in support of their producers. This has allowed Canadian producers to dump their product on the U.S. market to the detriment of U.S. manufacturers, as now confirmed by the Department of Commerce. The 350,000 hard working men and women in the U.S. lumber industry deserve a level playing field. We encourage the Department to continue strongly enforcing U.S. trade laws to respond to these unfair practices that have harmed U.S. companies and their workers."

Additional information and background:

The rates announced on June 26, 2017 by the U.S. Department of Commerce include: Canfor: 7.72 percent; Resolute: 4.59 percent; Tolko: 7.53 percent; West Fraser: 6.76 percent; All others: 6.87 percent. The U.S. Department of Commerce announcement on the rates can be found here.

In April, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that Canada subsidizes softwood lumber production, distorting the U.S. softwood lumber market to the detriment of U.S. sawmills, their employees and communities. The U.S. Lumber Coalition's statement can be found here. In June, the Canadian government announced it would provide nearly $1 billion in additional subsidies to the Canadian softwood lumber industry. The U.S. Lumber Coalition's statement can be found here.

About the U.S. Lumber Coalition

The U.S. Lumber Coalition is an alliance of large and small lumber producers from around the country, joined by hundreds of thousands of their employees, and tens of thousands of woodland owners. The Coalition is united in opposition to Canada's unfair lumber‐trade practices, including the gross under‐ pricing of timber on government‐owned lands. For more information, please visit the Coalition's website at www.uslumbercoalition.org.

CONTACT: Zoltan van Heyningen
zoltan@uslumbercoalition.org | 703-597-8651

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SOURCE U.S. Lumber Coalition