WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - July 29, 2015) - The Coalition for Fair Paper Imports, whose members are Madison Paper Industries and Verso Corporation, today applauds the U.S. Department of Commerce for its affirmative preliminary determination in the countervailing duty trade case on imports of supercalendered paper from Canada. The Coalition originally petitioned the Commerce Department to investigate the subsidies provided to Canadian producers and importers of supercalendered paper in February 2015. The Commerce Department's decision follows an affirmative determination by the International Trade Commission in April 2015 which preliminarily found injury to the U.S. paper industry resulting from the Canadian subsidies.

Russ Drechsel, CEO of Madison Paper Industries, said, "We believe the Department of Commerce conducted a responsible, thorough preliminary investigation and correctly concluded that certain Canadian producers of supercalendered paper -- principally Port Hawkesbury Paper in Nova Scotia -- have received unlawful subsidies. This is an important decision for the U.S. paper industry." He added, "We also applaud the Commerce Department's resolve not to break with precedent and to uphold its established investigative process regarding the number of respondents it considers in a countervailing duty trade case."

David J. Paterson, CEO of Verso Corporation, remarked, "Although there is additional work and analysis to be done, we believe that both the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission will reach the same affirmative conclusions -- Commerce as to unlawful subsidies, and the ITC as to the resulting injury to the U.S. paper industry -- in their final determinations which are expected to be issued this fall."

Michael Croteau, President of United Steel Workers Local 36 at the Madison Mill in Maine, added, "This is a critical decision for the workers at the Madison Mill and other paper mills in the United States. We don't want to see more lost jobs in this country caused by unfair imports, and this preliminary decision is a good step in preventing that. We thank the Department of Commerce for their hard work."

King & Spalding LLP represents the Coalition for Fair Paper Imports.