Bethlehem Steel Corporation
For Immediate Release

December 15, 2000 -- Bethlehem Steel congratulates President-elect George W. Bush and Vice-President-elect Dick Cheney on winning the 2000 Presidential election. Bethlehem Steel and the steel industry in general has had effective working relationships with prior Republican Administrations and looks forward to establishing the same relationship with the Bush Administration.

Steel is an integral part of America's manufacturing base, which has been the foundation of this country's prosperity for more than 150 years. Manufacturers have been the engine that has kept the economy and our standard of living moving forward. Today, highly automated, quality-driven and socially responsible companies have made great progress in creating productive and profitable businesses that are safe, sustainable and benefit thousands of communities across our nation. This progress, in part, has been attributable to effective partnerships with government and other key stakeholders.

A challenge for the new Administration is to develop even closer working relationships with the manufacturing sector in formulating public policy that generates rules and regulations that have positive impacts on manufacturing businesses and do not impair our global competitiveness.

Bethlehem Steel and the domestic steel industry have changed tremendously in the past two decades. We realize that more change is necessary to meet the challenges of the "new economy" and to create value for our stockholders by achieving satisfactory returns on the significant capital investments we have made in our businesses.

We urge the new Administration's prompt attention to the following matters which are critical to the future of our industry:

1. The need for strict enforcement of our existing trade laws to ensure free but fair trade through a rules-based system that creates parity among world trading partners.
2. Environmental policy based on sound scientific data that emphasizes the use of flexible mechanisms and voluntary approaches to achieve targeted improvements.
3. A cooperative approach, involving all stakeholders, to address the high cost of health care, especially prescription drugs, for active employees and retirees covered by employer-sponsored plans.

We are very appreciative of the statements of concern and the promises made by the Bush-Cheney campaign. We view, as a priority commitment, their pledge to vigorously enforce the trade laws and to stop the flood of foreign steel imports that are seriously injuring the domestic steel industry, its workers and its communities.