Steel Industry Conveys Strong Disappointment at Dropped Tariffs
Washington, DC— The U.S. steel industry
expressed “deep disappointment” with the decision by the Bush
Administration to prematurely drop the 201 steel tariffs.
“We are disappointed that the program
was terminated after only 21 months,” Daniel R. DiMicco, vice chairman,
president and CEO of Nucor Corporation and chairman of AISI, said.
“Given the industry’s dramatic
consolidation and restructuring efforts, and the considerable debt that
steel producers’ incurred as part of that process, it is disappointing
for the President to pull the program when it is little more than halfway
through,” DiMicco said.
“The real test,” DiMicco said,
“is whether the Administration, will commit to the aggressive enforcement
of our trade laws, including monitoring of any future import surges, self-initiation
of antidumping cases, and changes to our trade laws. Anything less will
undermine the progress our industry has made, and endanger American manufacturing.”
AISI President and CEO Andrew G. Sharkey,
III, said that the rationale for a three-year period was the necessity
of putting long-term solutions in place. “While we appreciate that
the President did the right thing when he initiated the 201 steel program,
the strategy was to use the full three-year period to address these underlying
problems through the OECD negotiations and to put other measures in place
to deal with future import surges.”
“Moving ahead, we look forward to
a new partnership with the Administration to establish an effective anti-surge
mechanism, including an import licensing program that has teeth, not just
a warning device,” Sharkey said. “We will look to the Administration
for proactive enforcement and strengthening of our trade laws and to being
more aggressive in investigating and resolving unfair trade practices,
wherever they occur.”
“We also want to see monitoring
of all steel products with a vigorous program to deal with disruptive
surges,” Sharkey said. “We must address the serious flaws
in American trade law if the steel industry and other manufacturers are
to compete on a level playing field in the global marketplace.” |
