71st OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2001 Regular Session
 
NOTE:  Matter within  { +  braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within  { -  braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
 { +  braces and plus signs + } .
 
 LC 3911
 
                        House Memorial 1
 
Sponsored by Representative MORGAN (at the request of Neil
  Westfall)
 
 
                             SUMMARY
 
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
 
  Urges Congress to extend current Canada-United States Softwood
Lumber Agreement.
 
                         HOUSE MEMORIAL
To the President of the United States, the Senate and the House
  of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress
  assembled:
  We, your memorialists, the House of Representatives of the
State of Oregon, in legislative session assembled, respectfully
represent as follows:
  Whereas Canadian softwood lumber producers obtain most of their
timber supply from Canadian government owned forests; and
  Whereas the Canadian provinces subsidize lumber production by
selling timber to Canadian lumber companies at noncompetitive
prices at a fraction of the market value of the timber; and
  Whereas artificially low Canadian provincial timber prices,
minimum harvesting regulations and other practices encourage
overharvesting and overproduction in Canada to the detriment of
the United States forest industry, forest landowners, workers and
the environment; and
  Whereas these unfair subsidy practices have helped Canadian
imports gain a significant share of the United States softwood
lumber market; and
  Whereas highly subsidized Canadian lumber imports unfairly
compete with United States lumber companies and affect thousands
of United States jobs and decrease the value of United States
forestland; and
  Whereas Canadian lumber subsidy practices have been identified
by a variety of independent analyses as unfair and United States
industry representatives, United States trade groups and United
States and Canadian environmental organizations have called for
an end to the subsidies; and
  Whereas an agreement between the United States and Canada on
lumber trade is scheduled to expire at the end of March 2001;
now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
  Oregon:
  (1) The Congress and the President of the United States are
urged to:
 
  (a) Extend the current Canada-United States Softwood Lumber
Agreement;
  (b) Encourage the end of Canadian lumber subsidy practices; and
  (c) Enforce United States trade laws to offset Canadian
subsidies and eliminate injury to the United States timber
industry if the Canadian subsidies are not terminated.
  (2) A copy of this memorial shall be sent to the President of
the United States, the Majority Leader of the United States
Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
and to each member of the Oregon Congressional Delegation.
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