SCOTUS - SIGN UP - March 2015

* Brief asks NAFTA to remand U.S. International Trade Commission decision on threat of injury to U.S. producers from Canadian imports * 27 percent countervail and antidumping duties unfairly price potential homeowners out of the housing market WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- A friend-of-the-court brief was filed yesterday on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders and the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association urging a North American Free Trade Agreement bi-national panel to reject 27 percent duties resulting from a U.S. International Trade Commissions (ITC) finding of "threat of material injury" to U.S. lumber producers from Canadian softwood lumber imports. Last May, the ITC found that a potential threat existed, even though it found no evidence of an actual injury to U.S. industry. It approved 27 percent Commerce Department duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports, which went into effect later that month. Yesterday's brief, filed on behalf of two members of the American Consumers for Affordable Homes (ACAH), an 18 member Alliance of U.S. lumber consumers and free trade advocates who comprise more than 95 percent of domestic and imported lumber consumption, is the only way consumers can be heard on this trade issue, according to an ACAH spokesperson. "The brief represents lumber dealers, home builders and other industries that rely on Canadian lumber -- from all regions of the country -- representing the broad cross section of Americans who are being harmed by what amounts to a 27 percent federal sales tax imposed on lumber," said Susan Petniunas, spokesperson for the ACAH. "It is unfortunate that trade laws do not allow consumers direct participation on an equal basis with industry in disputes like this. After all, consumers are the ones who end up paying the cost in higher prices, just to benefit a few U.S. companies." The brief includes extensive documentation that there is little overlapping among U.S. produced timber species and those imported from Canada, and that Canadian softwood lumber is not an adequate substitute for U. S. southern yellow pine in most of its uses. Each type of lumber has distinct properties, functions and applications that can make it a poor substitute for other species, homebuilders and lumber dealers testified before the ITC. Most lumber produced in the U.S. is southern yellow pine. In Canada, most timber harvested is spruce pine fir. The U.S. relies on imported lumber to meet about 30 percent of its needs. "If the entire 27 percent duties are passed on to U.S. consumers, they could add as much as $1,000 to the cost of a new home, and price as many as 300,000 families out of the housing market," Petniunas said. "These potential home buyers would not able to qualify for mortgages," she added. "And while $1,000 may not sound like much to some people, for many first-time homeowners and seniors seeking to reduce their housing costs in retirement, it can make the difference between being able to buy a home or not," she said. The Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, led by International Paper, Potlatch, Plum Creek, Sierra Pacific, Temple Inland, and southern landowners, filed petitions alleging that they have been harmed by Canadian softwood lumber imports and asking for countervailing and antidumping duties. More than 100 members of the U.S. House and Senate have signed resolutions or written letters to President George W. Bush over the past year, indicating their support for free trade in lumber, and urging no new taxes or penalties on consumers. Approximately six million U.S. workers are involved in lumber- consuming businesses, including homebuilders, remodelers, lumber dealers, and such industries as window and bed makers. U.S. workers for lumber-consuming industries outnumber lumber-producing workers by 30 to 1. ACAH members include American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, Catamount Pellet Fuel Corporation, CHEP International, Citizens for a Sound Economy, Consumers for World Trade, Free Trade Lumber Council, Fremont Forest Group Corporation, The Home Depot, International Mass Retail Association, International Sleep Products Association, Leggett & Platt Inc., Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform, Manufactured Housing Institute, National Association of Home Builders, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, National Retail Federation, and the United States Hispanic Contractors Association. http://www.acah.org

A friend-of-the-court brief was filed yesterday on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders and the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association urging a North American Free Trade Agreement bi-national panel to reject 27 percent duties resulting from a U.S. International Trade Commissions (ITC) finding of "threat of material injury" to U.S. lumber producers from Canadian softwood lumber imports. Last May, the ITC found that a potential threat existed, even though it found no evidence of an actual injury to U.S. industry. It approved 27 percent Commerce Department duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports, which went into effect later that month. Yesterday's brief, filed on behalf of two members of the American Consumers for Affordable Homes (ACAH), an 18 member Alliance of U.S. lumber consumers and free trade advocates who comprise more than 95 percent of domestic and imported lumber consumption, is the only way consumers can be heard on this trade issue, according to an ACAH spokesperson. "The brief represents lumber dealers, home builders and other industries that rely on Canadian lumber -- from all regions of the country -- representing the broad cross section of Americans who are being harmed by what amounts to a 27 percent federal sales tax imposed on lumber," said Susan Petniunas, spokesperson for the ACAH. "It is unfortunate that trade laws do not allow consumers direct participation on an equal basis with industry in disputes like this. After all, consumers are the ones who end up paying the cost in higher prices, just to benefit a few U.S. companies." The brief includes extensive documentation that there is little overlapping among U.S. produced timber species and those imported from Canada, and that Canadian softwood lumber is not an adequate substitute for U. S. southern yellow pine in most of its uses. Each type of lumber has distinct properties, functions and applications that can make it a poor substitute for other species, homebuilders and lumber dealers testified before the ITC. Most lumber produced in the U.S. is southern yellow pine. In Canada, most timber harvested is spruce pine fir. The U.S. relies on imported lumber to meet about 30 percent of its needs. "If the entire 27 percent duties are passed on to U.S. consumers, they could add as much as $1,000 to the cost of a new home, and price as many as 300,000 families out of the housing market," Petniunas said. "These potential home buyers would not able to qualify for mortgages," she added. "And while $1,000 may not sound like much to some people, for many first-time homeowners and seniors seeking to reduce their housing costs in retirement, it can make the difference between being able to buy a home or not," she said. The Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, led by International Paper, Potlatch, Plum Creek, Sierra Pacific, Temple Inland, and southern landowners, filed petitions alleging that they have been harmed by Canadian softwood lumber imports and asking for countervailing and antidumping duties. More than 100 members of the U.S. House and Senate have signed resolutions or written letters to President George W. Bush over the past year, indicating their support for free trade in lumber, and urging no new taxes or penalties on consumers. Approximately six million U.S. workers are involved in lumber- consuming businesses, including homebuilders, remodelers, lumber dealers, and such industries as window and bed makers. U.S. workers for lumber-consuming industries outnumber lumber-producing workers by 30 to 1. ACAH members include American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, Catamount Pellet Fuel Corporation, CHEP International, Citizens for a Sound Economy, Consumers for World Trade, Free Trade Lumber Council, Fremont Forest Group Corporation, The Home Depot, International Mass Retail Association, International Sleep Products Association, Leggett & Platt Inc., Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform, Manufactured Housing Institute, National Association of Home Builders, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, National Retail Federation, and the United States Hispanic Contractors Association. http://www.acah.org

One of the key figures behind state Sen. Bruce Keough's rise from relative political obscurity to a second-place finish in the Republican gubernatorial primary has found a new job. Keough campaign director Rich Killion has been named director of Franklin Pierce College's new Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication. The center, dedicated in May, is named in honor of the press secretary to President Reagan and former President Bush. Before joining Keough's campaign, Killion was executive director of New Hampshire Citizens for a Sound Economy, a group that helped defeat a proposed home rule amendment to the state constitution. The group also supported U.S. Sen. John McCain's bill exempting Internet retail sales from state sales taxes. Killion previously worked at Franklin Pierce as head of public relations and director of the capital campaign. He also helped start the college's Center for Applied Public Opinion Research, a public opinion polling institute.

After a decade of winning dozens of those "Best of" awards, Raleigh has come up a big loser. Brown University researchers ranked Raleigh's city Web site (www.raleigh-nc.org) as one of the worst among those of the 70 biggest cities nationwide. Raleigh's "e-government" efforts were in the same crowd as those in New Orleans, Norfolk, Va., and Detroit. "Good lord!" city spokeswoman Jayne Kirkpatrick said. "That's some tacky company." The Brown University study evaluated Web sites based on a 100-point scale, measuring the availability of information and services and the quality of citizen access, privacy, security, disability access and foreign language translation, among other features. Raleigh ranked 68th out of 70, down from 47th a year ago. Worst was New Orleans, then Norfolk. Best were Minneapolis, Seattle, Denver and San Diego. Kirkpatrick said the rankings don't tell the city something it doesn't already know. The city plans to revamp its Web site, she said, and meetings are already scheduled to talk about it. Until now, the Web site operation has been "fragmented" and the pages need to be redesigned, she said. "It is something that we need to address," she said. POLITICAL TRAIL - THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF NORTH CAROLINA will hold its annual conference from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in the old House chamber of the state Capitol in downtown Raleigh. The theme is "Politics and the Environment: Who We Elect Matters!" - THE RALEIGH JAYCEES will hold a voter registration drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in the food court at Triangle Town Center. - DONNIE HARRISON, the Republican candidate for Wake sheriff, will hold a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Heather Hills clubhouse, 901 Claymore Drive in Garner. He will also appear at a coffee from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at 4824 Fox Branch Court in Raleigh, at an event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 805 Hemingway Drive in Raleigh and at a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at 2700 Hazelwood Drive in Raleigh. - REBECCA LIEBERMAN, president and CEO of Vote for America, will speak at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Brickyard at N.C. State University and at 8 p.m. Monday in Room 100 of Hamilton Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill. Vote for America is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit group that is trying to increase voter participation, especially among young people. - PRECINCT 07-07 will hold a candidates' forum from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Abbotswood at Stonehenge retirement community, 7900 Creedmoor Road. - WAKE SHERIFF JOHN BAKER and Gerry Bowles, a Democrat running in N.C. Senate District 15, will attend a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the home of Jim and Sara Liles, 11504 Black Horse Run in Raleigh. - THE JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION and Citizens for a Sound Economy will be hosts of a speech on Social Security from Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute in Washington at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the North Raleigh Hilton, 3415 Wake Forest Road. - STATE REP. JENNIFER WEISS, a Democrat seeking re-election in N.C. House District 35, will hold a fund-raiser from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the home of Bett and Bill Padgett, 1213 Dixie Trail in Raleigh.