By Christian H.C.R. No. 98 77R3758 NBH-D HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Lumber is an important natural resource and a vital 1-2 industry for both the United States and Texas; the U.S. and Texas 1-3 timber industries' ability to compete in a global economy, however, 1-4 is hampered by the continuing influx of Canadian lumber which is 1-5 heavily subsidized by the provincial governments; and 1-6 WHEREAS, Canadian softwood lumber producers obtain most of 1-7 their timber supply from government-owned forests, and the 1-8 provinces subsidize lumber production by selling timber to Canadian 1-9 lumber companies at noncompetitive prices for a fraction of the 1-10 timber's market value; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Artificially low provincial timber prices, minimum 1-12 harvesting restrictions, and other practices that encourage 1-13 over-harvesting and over-production have helped Canadian imports 1-14 gain a 36 percent share of the U.S. softwood lumber market; and 1-15 WHEREAS, Highly subsidized Canadian lumber imports unfairly 1-16 compete with U.S. lumber companies, jeopardizing thousands of jobs 1-17 and driving down the market value of U.S. forest lands; and 1-18 WHEREAS, U.S. industry and labor groups, U.S. and Canadian 1-19 environmental organizations, and Native American groups have called 1-20 for an end to these subsidies in order to establish fair trade 1-21 practices; and 1-22 WHEREAS, The United States must fully enforce trade laws to 1-23 offset the subsidies and mitigate injury to the U.S. softwood 1-24 lumber industry if the Canadian subsidies are not discontinued; and 2-1 WHEREAS, The only protection for U.S. timber growers against 2-2 these unfair market conditions is the current United States-Canada 2-3 Softwood Lumber Agreement, which is scheduled to expire on the last 2-4 day of March 2001; now, therefore, be it 2-5 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-6 hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 2-7 extend the United States-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement and 2-8 encourage open and competitive timber sales in Canada at fair 2-9 market prices; and, be it further 2-10 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 2-11 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 2-12 the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of 2-13 the senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the 2-14 Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this 2-15 resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to 2-16 the Congress of the United States of America.