WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King released the following statement today in response to the Department of Commerce’s countervailing duty order on supercalendered paper from Canada that was published today:

“The Department of Commerce’s order is welcome news for the hardworking men and women of Madison Paper Industries who have for far too long fought an uphill battle against illegal and unfair provincial subsidies like the ones provided to the Port Hawkesbury Mill. The duties levied on companies that have been found to receive illegal and unfair trade advantages will help even the playing field in this important segment of the paper market.

“However, we remain extremely concerned with how the Department of Commerce conducted its investigation of the Canadian producers. The Department should have, as we strongly advocated, reviewed all four Canadian producers of supercalendered paper to ensure a fair and fact-based process. Rather than conduct a careful assessment of the actual subsidies received by each company, the Department relied on Port Hawkesbury’s and Resolute’s subsidies to determine an arbitrary and unfair duty rate for Irving and Catalyst.  This ill-advised decision could affect more than 1,000 Maine workers employed at J.D. Irving and the Catalyst-owned mill in Rumford.

“On behalf of these Maine workers, we urge the Department of Commerce to prioritize individual examinations of Irving and Catalyst through the expedited review process.”

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