U.S. steel firms file dumping cases against Indonesia<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (Reuters): Ten U.S. steel pipe producers and an
\nindustry group have filed anti-dumping cases against imported
\nsteel pipe products from Indonesia and other four countries,
\ncharging the imports are undercutting the competitiveness of
\ndomestic producers.<\/p>\n
\"We filed the cases because there are enormous amounts of
\nsteel tonnage being dumped from producers in five different
\ncountries for standard pipe products,\" said Gary Hubbard, a
\nspokesman at the United Steelworkers of America, adding the cases
\nwere filed late Thursday with the Commerce Department.<\/p>\n
The anti-dumping cases allege that imported steel pipe
\nproducts used for plumbing and sprinkler systems from Indonesia,
\nChina, Malaysia, South Africa, and Romania increased 47 percent
\nbetween 1998 and last year, rising from 182,000 tons to 268,000
\ntons in the period.<\/p>\n
The cases also reiterate calls for the Bush Administration to
\ninvoke a section of federal trade law that could slap import
\nrestrictions on steel imports.<\/p>\n
\"The Administration should take action for comprehensive steel
\nimport relief that will benefit our pipe industry ... However,
\nuntil that action is taken, we believe it to be prudent to
\nindividually attack these dumped imports of pipe,\" C. Richard
\nWahl, president of Wheatland Tube Co., said in a statement.<\/p>\n
In September 2000, the federal government extended for five
\nyears anti-dumping duties on standard steel pipe from eight
\ncountries, the statement said.<\/p>\n
Hubbard said he believed the Commerce Department would likely
\nbegin investigating the anti-dumping cases on June 13.<\/p>\n
Earlier Friday, lawmakers from U.S. steel-producing states
\nasked Bill Thomas, a California Republican and chairman of the
\nHouse of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee, for his help
\nin launching an investigation under section 201 of the 1974 Trade
\nAct to restrict steel imports.<\/p>\n
Under section 201, the U.S. president can impose temporary
\nimport restrictions to give an industry time to restructure and
\nbecome more competitive.<\/p>\n
To take action, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)
\nmust first determine whether imports are a threat to domestic
\nproducers.<\/p>\n
U.S. law permits the president, the Senate Finance Committee
\nor the House Ways and Means Committee to ask the ITC for a
\nsection 201 probe.<\/p>\n
The United States already has more than 120 anti-dumping and
\ncountervailing duty orders in place on steel imports.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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