The International Trade Commission found no injury to U.S. producers, so the antidumping and countervailing duties set by the Commerce Department in October will not take effect.
Legislation
Most of the money, C$4 billion, would finance large new mills and biorefineries through a new fund at Export Development Canada.
Petitioners withdrew requests for 14 companies, and Commerce found no reviewable entries for 20 others.
The Australian Forest Products Association estimates that up to 100,000 cubic meters of imported timber products a year may contain Russian fiber, enough for 15,000 homes, and wants testing and country-of-origin labeling.
Forty-three forestry associations say higher diesel prices add more than $920 million a year to the cost of hauling U.S. timber. A second coalition of 46 groups led by forest landowners made the same request a day later.
The cut applies only to the rates from the 2017 investigation that started the duties. The largest producers already pay rates set in annual reviews, so their payments do not change, while exporters never reviewed will pay 12.80% instead of 14.19%.
Metsä Group had earlier suspended wood purchases from the data center sites over doubts about the timber's origin, and Finland's supervisory agency halted preparatory work at Muhos and Kajaani in October.
A judge halted the Forest Service relocation plan in mid-October in a lawsuit by federal employee unions. USDA has appealed and says the stay leaves 25 fire management posts and 10 avalanche center lead jobs unfilled.
Duties on Canadian softwood lumber would go into loan funds for homes built with U.S. wood, and tariffs on mill machinery not made in the U.S. would be removed.
A final rule signed on Thursday lets mills use a newer small-chamber method for routine quality-control testing and updates six other test standards.
An amendment in force since October 22 lets the Korea Forest Service give national forest timber to state bodies and forestry public institutions for wood construction and research.
Mass timber makers would get a 10% credit and research spending a 20% credit; the bill now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee.
The party also promises faster permits and compensation for licensees when tenure is reallocated.
The Forest Service has sold more than 3 billion board feet of timber this year.
The order blocks office closures, staff relocations and the planned move of the agency’s headquarters to Salt Lake City while a lawsuit by federal employee unions proceeds.
Companies want third parties to conduct forest assessments instead of relying solely on state-controlled Roslesinforg and seek protection from lease termination over delays or quality disputes.
The law also directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to identify financing barriers for modular housing and study a federal building standard.
The proposal would return decisions on inventoried roadless areas to local national forest managers under existing laws and planning rules.
The final rule applies to loan guarantees for advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased product facilities.
The new standards will apply to 219 major-source facilities that make plywood, composite wood products or kiln-dried lumber.