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Non-Tech : RECY Looking Good... A -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: James Strauss who wrote (6142)	12/1/1998 3:34:00 PM
From: Scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7006

Coming out of lurk mode for a moment: Here is a link that some of you folks may be interested in: thenewsherald.com I don't know how long that link will be active, so I'll provide the text below: Imports of steel increasing By Gary Gosselin, Staff Writer Steel imports are arriving at the Nicholson Terminal in Ecorse two ships at a time much to the dismay of the domestic steel industry. "They're rushing now, they're trying to get every pound of steel they can before we can stop them," United Steelworkers Union District 2 Director Harry Lester said. He said he, his union and the steel industry are pulling out all the stops trying to halt foreign dumping of steel, because it is sold at prices below what domestic steelmakers can produce it for. The unions and industry have sued in federal court, petitioned President Bill Clinton and are pressuring the U.S. Commerce Department and International Trade Commission to stop a practice they say is illegal. "The flood of steel continues to pour into the U.S. and it's devastating to the domestic steel industry. Make no mistake, dumping is taking place," said Great Lakes Division-National Steel Corp. spokesman John Jakcsy. "We want to see decisive action by the president; their response has been far too slow." Clinton has referred the matter to the Commerce Department and to the International Trade Commission, but the issue is not receiving the urgent attention it deserves, he said. Jakcsy said that as a result of the dumping, Great Lakes' production is down 35 percent this year, which has caused the company to close a blast furnace. He said steelmakers throughout the country are facing the same problem, and if nothing is done soon, the problem will get worse. U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-16th District) has spoken to Clinton on several occasions recently and sent a strongly worded letter requesting immediate action to "counteract the unfair trade practices of Japan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil and others …" Lester said the countries Dingell speaks of are all subsidizing their steel industries, which allows them to sell steel at $100 to $150 less than the normal $600 to $800 a ton. Those countries are desperate for a cash flow, so they're selling the steel here while making import tariffs and taxes so high in their own countries that American steel is too expensive, he said. Imports are up as much as 50 percent over last year, Lester said, and appear to be increasing. In his letter, Dingell asks Clinton to roll back import restrictions to 1997 levels and take immediate steps to determine "critical circumstances" in cases dealing with Russia, Brazil and Japan and to set an early date for determination of dumping. He also asked that Clinton establish an interagency task force to develop short- and long-term plans for dealing with "unfair trade practices by foreign steel producers …"