Steel Users Testify At ITC 201 Hearing
Three members of the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition (CITAC) testified recently during the 'injury phase' of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Section 201 investigation hearings. They pointed out that access to steel imports is critical to the survival of steel consuming industries in the United States, and they urged the commission to consider the impact of import restrictions on consuming industries.
Three members of the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition (CITAC) testified recently during the "injury phase" of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Section 201 investigation hearings. They pointed out that access to steel imports is critical to the survival of steel consuming industries in the United States, and they urged the commission to consider the impact of import restrictions on consuming industries.
Among those testifying was John C. Kennedy, president and CEO of Autocam Corporation, a Precision Machined Products Association member company. PMPA recently joined CITAC to represent the industry's concerns regarding steel availability.
"There are 12.8 million American workers and more than 100,000 businesses in this country that use steel products in their operations—more than 50 times as many jobs as in steel production," Mr. Kennedy says. "These companies risk hardship and, in some cases, extinction if access to imports is restricted." Autocam, ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the best small public companies nationwide, is a worldwide manufacturer of precision machined components for the automotive, computer and medical instrument industries.
The injury phase of the ITC's investigation determines whether imports cause significant injury to the domestic steel industry. If injury is found, the "remedy phase" of the investigation, which begins November 5, will invite testimony regarding appropriate remedial actions. Such measures could include tariffs, import quotas and other trade restraints.
In preparation for the remedy phase, CITAC has pointed out that it is critically important that steel-consuming industries have congressional support at the hearings to show that steel users are an important part of the U.S. economy and that Congress is aware of this fact.
Accordingly, PMPA members have been urged to contact their legislators with two specific requests: first, that they appear at the ITC hearings to give weight to steel consumers' arguments, and, second, that they send a letter to the White House expressing the views and concerns of steel-consuming companies about steel import restrictions.
