Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Ispat Inland Inc.
LTV Steel Company, Inc.
National Steel Corporation
U.S. Steel Group, a unit of USX Corporation

For Immediate Release

July 13, 1999 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce today issued substantial dumping margins ranging from 74% to 185% in its investigation of unfairly traded steel imports from Russia. The high margins issued by the Department confirm that Russian producers sold hot-rolled steel at dumped prices in the U.S. market. However, the Department today also announced that it has entered into settlement agreements with Russia suspending its investigation and the imposition of duties. While we recognize and appreciate the role of the Department of Commerce in dramatically reducing unfairly traded imports from Russia, Japan and Brazil last fall, our companies continue to be deeply concerned by the Department's unprecedented policy of consistently suspending legitimate trade cases over our objection as petitioners. Suspending trade cases in instances where unfair trade has caused serious injury directly undermines the effectiveness and credibility of U.S. trade laws and a rule-based international trading system.

The Commerce Department today also announced that it has entered into a comprehensive agreement with Russia, covering a wide range of products. Although limits have been established, these agreements will allow Russian producers to continue trading unfairly and further injure American producers, thus causing even more damage to our workers and companies. Foreign steel producers who have been found guilty of dumping their products into the U.S. market should pay additional duties as provided by law.

Despite the progress made by the Commerce Department in slowing the tide of unfairly traded steel imports, the harm caused by the continuing unprecedented levels of unfairly priced imports has not abated. The steel import crisis is not over. Unfairly traded imports from Russia and other countries are depressing prices, forcing production cut-backs, reduced shipments and lowered operating rates. The domestic industry supports the strong enforcement of U.S. trade laws to achieve an open rules-based trading system. Our responsibility to our employees, our shareholders and our communities requires that we use all remedies available under the law to prevent further injury from all unfairly traded imports.

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