Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA 2006) Expires
On October 7, 2015, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that the Softwood Lumber Agreement 2006 (SLA 2006) between the US and Canada will expire on October 12, 2015, and will discontinue enforcement of the softwood lumber regulations effective October 13, 2015.
The SLA 2006 was designed to regulate Canadian lumber exports to the US. Under the terms of the agreement, the US ended collection of countervailing and anti-dumping duties on imported Canadian softwood lumber, and Canada imposed taxes and quantitative restrictions on softwood lumber exports to the US.
The CBP release states that CBP will no longer enforce Export Permit Number, Region of Origin, and Original Maritime Certificate of Origin requirements. In addition, any Maritime COO’s received on or after October 13, 2015, should be returned to the importer, and filers in ACE/ACS should enter a “dummy SLA 2006 number, P88888888 (P followed by eight 8’s), when applicable.”
While Canadian lumber exporters shipping to the US, on or after October 13, 2015, will no longer be subject to export fees, the Government of Canada will begin monitoring shipments of softwood lumber products following the expiration of SLA 2006. The monitoring program, beginning October 13, 2015, and administered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, seeks to collect data on Canadian manufactured softwood lumber exports. Softwood lumber products will continue to be recognized on the Export Control List (ECL), and lumber exporters will need to obtain an export permit, ensuring that the Canadian Government will be able to track softwood lumber shipments to the US.
In addition, CBP will continue to enforce the Softwood Lumber Agreement 2008 (SLA 2008) and the related reporting requirements for any shipment of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products imported into the United States from any country and subject to the importer declaration program.
For additional information about the Softwood Lumber Agreement, please send an email to compliance@anderinger.com. For information regarding the Canadian Government’s monitoring of softwood lumber exports, please visit the Government of Canada’s website.