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Your Help is Urgently Needed to Keep the 201 Tariff Remedy Intact
After the ITC ruled that the American steel industry had been seriously injured by low-priced imports, President Bush instituted a tariff-based remedy to allow the industry to recover and restructure.
The 201 tariff remedy is beginning to have tangible positive effects on the industry. Prices are recovering, domestic mills are increasing production and inventories are healthy.
However, the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative are considering requests for exclusions from the 201 tariff remedy that are severely weakening the effectiveness of the tariffs.
How Exclusions can Undermine the 201 Remedy
What the Domestic Steel Industry is Saying
Please Write to Commerce Secretary Evans and U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick and Urge Them Not to Grant Exclusions that Undermine the 201 Remedy
Make Your Voice Heard: Your voice counts. Write to Commerce Secretary Evans and U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick and urge them not to grant Exclusions that would undermine the protection afforded by the 201 Tariffs. Please send copies of your letters and e-mails to:
Charles W. Campbell Jr.
Vice President, Public Affairs
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
1170 Eighth Avenue
Bethlehem, PA
18016
[email protected]
We will also publish the text of your e-mail (without your name) on our website to ensure that your voice is heard by others--an encouragement for them to take action as well.
Read What Others have Written
To help you compose your letters and e-mails, the following are "talking points" you can use to express your thoughts:
- After the ITC ruled that the American steel industry had been seriously injured by low-priced imports, the President instituted a tariff-based remedy to allow the industry to recover and restructure.
- The 201 remedy is beginning to have tangible positive effects on the industry. Prices are recovering, domestic mills are increasing production and inventories are healthy.
- However, the Department of Commerce and USTR have received thousands of requests to grant exclusions from the 201 remedy that risk severely weakening the effectiveness of the tariffs.
- From the outset, the 201 remedy excluded numerous countries and major products entirely. For example, the President's Proclamation contained more than 150 specific individual product exclusions. Since that time the Administration has excluded approximately 250 additional products, a number of which were agreed to by the domestic industry.
- The Department of Commerce and USTR have granted at least 38 exclusions for flat-rolled products,including tin mill products and plate that compete with domestically produced steel products. These exclusions were granted over the objections of Bethlehem Steel and the domestic industry.
- The Administration has over 1000 other exclusion requests that are still to be decided. No exclusions should be granted to products that are or can be produced domestically.
- Exclusions can seriously hamper the recovery of the domestic industry and threaten to nullify the relief ordered by the President.
- We are urging the Administration to deny any additional exclusion requests made over the objection of the domestic industry. To the extent that any are approved over the industry's objection, strict quantitative limits and certification requirements must be imposed.
Next Steps:
The links below will help you communicate with Commerce Secretary Evans and U.S. Trade Representative Zoellick on this critical issue:
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