Page 22 - BB_Dec_2017

LUMBER TARIFFS

‘Could not have come

at a Worse Time’

NAHB Chair Granger MacDonald today issued and grappling with rebuilding efforts following these
the following statement regarding the Commerce natural disasters.
Department’s final decision to impose countervailing “Lumber is a major component in new home
and anti-dumping duties on Canadian lumber construction and one-third of the lumber used in the
imports: U.S. last year was imported. The bulk of the imported
“Today’s move by the Commerce Department lumber – more than 95% – came from Canada.
to impose duties averaging 20.83% on Canadian “Canada and the U.S. need to work cooperatively to
lumber shipments into the U.S. could not have come achieve a long-term, stable solution in lumber trade
at a worse time. Home builders and home owners that provides for a consistent and fairly priced supply
are already dealing with the monumental rebuilding of lumber.
efforts in the aftermath of the devastating hurricane “On the domestic front, policymakers need to take
season and California wildfires. This tariff only adds steps that will help U.S. lumber firms meet domestic
to the burden by harming housing affordability and demand. Those efforts must include better and more
artificially boosting the price of lumber. It is nothing active management of our federally owned forests to
more than a thinly-disguised tax on American home promote healthier forests which face imminent danger
buyers, home builders and consumers. posed by insects, disease and catastrophic wildfire
“This is particularly disappointing given that NAHB damage.
met recently with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross “These actions will help to calm volatile lumber
to express our concerns on this issue. Unfortunately, markets and ensure a reliable and affordable supply
the administration is taking protectionist measures to of lumber for American consumers.”
support domestic lumber producers at the expense of
millions of U.S. home buyers and lumber consumers. NAHB NOVEMBER 2017
This is an especially hard blow at a time when the
housing sector is still struggling to regain its footing

22 NOVEMBER 2017 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION