U.S. Lumber Company Execs Appeal to Congress to Block Administration Plan

[CHIMO]

U.S. Lumber Company Execs Appeal to Congress to Block Administration Plan Giving Preferential, Off-budget $500 Million Payments to Competitors

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 /CNW/ -- Lumber manufacturers representing firms
with operations in more than 16 states are in Washington, D.C. today to appeal
to Members of Congress to intervene in the Administration's plans to provide
preferential financial benefits of $500 million to a small portion of the U.S.
industry. This cash in the hands of a few selected companies will destabilize
the domestic lumber industry and circumvents the Congress through an
off-budget escrow account.

"We have more than 30 companies that are petitioning the government to
abandon its plan to refund duties collected on softwood lumber imports into an
off-budget U.S. escrow account to be given to the U.S. Coalition for Fair
Lumber Imports," said David Slaughter, spokesperson for Lumber Manufacturers
for Ethics and Equality (LMEE). "This is wrong, creative accounting and mis-
handling of Treasury funds, with no budget oversight from Congress."

Slaughter said that the LMEE is investigating possible legal action to
block the total $500 million from being distributed or used without
Congressional action and oversight. He said that, if the money can be legally
handed back by Canada, it should be kept in the Treasury and used for
construction of affordable homes throughout the country.

Canada and the U.S. have been in a decades-long dispute over softwood
lumber imports. This summer, negotiators for the two countries reached an
agreement that is designed to end the dispute for up to nine years. Part of
the deal, however, hands back to the U.S. lumber companies that brought the
trade actions against Canada one-half billion of the five billion in duties
collected since 2001.

http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/September2006/13/c5527.html

[ShockediSay]

1. the "small portion" receiving big bucks smell like paying players

to me.

[achtung_circus]

2. Misleading.

theis "refund" came from the Canadian producers targetted by the Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports. Why isn't it going back to Canada, as the rest of those monies are? Because it's handy to have $1b lying around to give to your friends.

[dogfacedboy]

3. Now they're even trying to screw corporate America. n/t

[denverbill]

6. No, they are only screwing small business.

Look at the list of petitioners. Recognize any names? I sure don't. Shrubby is handing out millions to the biggest corporations, who in turn will undercut the little guys and drive them out of business. Then they can raise prices.

[eccles12]

4. Screw them. They all voted for Republicans anyway. They get

the government they deserve.

[annabanana]

5. smells like slush fund to me. .. . . . . .n/t

[jmowreader]

7. The list of companies in the action...

Two abbreviations you may find handy:

SPF - Spruce/Pine/Fir. This lumber is what all the hubbub is about.
It is lumber from one of eight species of trees: Red Spruce, Black Spruce, White Spruce, Engelmann Spruce, Jack Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Balsam Fir, and Alpine Fir Most of it comes from Canada, but its range extends to about the California-Oregon state line. This is a soft timber--you can press your fingernail into it--with good fiber strength. It's mostly white in color.

SYP - Southern Yellow Pine. It comes from four species: Loblolly Pine, Longleaf Pine, Shortleaf Pine, and Slash Pine. This wood is, as its name suggests, yellow in color. It has excellent fiber strength and it's hard as a rock--the slow-growth rings (the dark ones) are harder than walnut, which is very hard. These species only grow in an area bounded by Texas on the West and Virginia to the North, all the way to the eastern and southern shores.

Amelia Lumber Co, Amelia, Virginia
Amelia Lumber makes borate-treated lumber. This is a very insect-resistant product used primarily as framing lumber and for windowframes because the borate leaches out of the lumber if it gets wet. In the US, borate-treatment is applied primarily to two species groups: Southern Yellow Pine and Radiata Pine.

A.V. Littrell Lumber Mill, Tishomingo, Mississippi
A.V. Littrell is a hardwood mill. Its primary products are oak and poplar lumber, but they make some pine.

Ayres & Baker Pole & Post Inc., Mountain View, Wyoming
These guys make fenceposts and telephone poles. They also produce pressure-treated lumber; in the western United States, that's all coastal Douglas fir.

Bean Lumber Co, Inc., Glenwood, Arkansas
Bean Lumber Co. is a southern yellow pine plant. They provide raw and pressure-treated lumber products.

Brittain Lumber Company, Statesville, North Carolina
Brittain Lumber makes pressure-treated Southern Yellow Pine decking.

Busy B Cedar Inc., Priest River, Idaho
As its name suggests, this is a cedar mill. They specialize in fencing.

Caffall Brothers Forest Products, Portland, Oregon
Caffall Brothers makes studs--from Douglas Fir lumber. These are better than SPF studs because they're stronger.

Cedar Creek Horselogging & Milling Inc., Nevada City, California
This is primarily a woodworking shop, but they also sell lumber--hardwood lumber. Species they handle include California Black Oak, Pacific Madrone, Alder, Tanoak, Aromatic Cedar, Ash, Bigleaf Maple, Red Oak, Ponderosa Pine, Sugar Pine, Redwood, Walnut and Douglas Fir.

Cold Stream Lumber Co., West Enfield, Maine
This WAS a softwood mill. On April 30, 2006, its sawmill facility burned to the ground.

Dejarnette Lumber Company, Milford, Virginia
Dejamette makes hardwood dimensional stock and hardwood flooring.

J.D. Lumber Inc., Priest River, Idaho
This appears to be a sawmill. Their website doesn't say what they make, but I've been to Priest River...these guys are cutting spruce because that's what's there.

Lamell Lumber Corp, Essex Junction, Vermont
This is an SPF mill.

Lampe & Malphrus Co., Smithfield, North Carolina
SYP mill producing mostly inch-thick stock. Also produces pattern stock for flooring.

Lewis County Forest Products, Winlock, Washington
This is a Douglas Fir stud mill with something you just don't find in the lumber industry: a very cute website. http://www.titanstuds.com/home.html. It owns Mason County Forest Products.

Littrell Lumber Mill, Decatur, Alabama
Littrell cuts SYP and hardwood.

Mason County Forest Products, Shelton, Washington
Mason County Forest Products is part of Lewis County Forest Products. They make Hem-Fir (hemlock and douglas fir) studs.

North End Timber Products, Olney, Montana
This is an SPF mill.

Oakville Forest Products, Oakville, Washington
They have two products: douglas fir studs, and wood chips for paper mills.

Patenaude Lumber Co. Inc., Henniker, New Hampshire
Patenaude mills white pine, a part of the SPF group.

Ponderay Valley Fibre, Usk, Washington
They take all northern softwoods but seem to prefer douglas fir.

Portac, Inc., Tacoma, Washington
Probably another douglas fir mill

Precision Pine & Timber Inc., Heber, Arizona
No matter what the name of this company says, they don't do pine. It's a hardwood mill that produces dimensional stock and flooring.

Pukall Lumber Co., Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin
Pukall (wouldn't you have hated to be one of these guys' kids?) makes SPF, red pine and fir lumber.

Rosboro Lumber Co., Springfield, Oregon
Rosboro makes hem-fir studs, plywood and engineered lumber.

RSG Forest Products, Kalama, Washington
Another hem-fir mill.

Tricon Timber LLC, St. Regis, Montana
Tricon makes two things: nine-foot studs and wooden posts.

Trinity River Lumber Co., Weaverville, California
No information is available

Troy Lumber Co., Troy, North Carolina
They make SYP flooring and scaffold planks.

Sauvola's Sawmill, Northport, Washington
Makes white pine pattern stock

Stoddard Lumber Co. Inc., St. Anthony, Idaho
Stoddard Lumber specializes in log cabins.

Zosel Lumber Co., Oroville, Washington
No information is available

I only count 15 mills that can be considered affected by the Canadian lumber situation...you'd have to be reaching REALLY far to say Stoddard's log cabin business is affected by Canfor's stud operation.