The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, April 29, edition that British Columbia's special envoy on the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, David Emerson, is distancing himself from Premier Christy Clark's threats of trade retaliation. The Globe's Justine Hunter writes that Mr. Emerson says he was not consulted on Ms. Clark's bid to block shipments of thermal coal in response to new punitive softwood lumber tariffs imposed on Canada's softwood exports to the United States. He says, "I have not participated in searching for retaliation measures." On Wednesday, Ms. Clark asked Ottawa to impose a ban on U.S. thermal coal shipped through British Columbia's ports. Ottawa has indicated it is supportive of B.C.'s request and is looking into it. Ms. Clark has vowed she is prepared to act unilaterally if Ottawa does not. She said B.C. could use its Emergency Program Act to levy an "onerous fee that would be so high on the shipment of American coal, that it would no longer make any sense." However, because Ms. Clark is in the middle of an election campaign and the legislature is not sitting, any such action would have to wait until after B.C. voters go to the polls on May 9.