U.S. excludes three Canadian provinces from softwood lumber probe

The U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday it had made a preliminary decision to exclude three Canadian Atlantic provinces from a U.S. investigation into whether Canada is dumping or subsidizing exports of softwood lumber.

The decision to exclude Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island follows a preliminary finding by the department in April that Canada subsidizes its softwood lumber exports, which prompted the United States to slap on countervailing duties of 20 percent.

In a statement announcing the latest decision, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said those duties would still be collected pending a final determination.

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