Yesterday, domestic steel producers and steelworkers testified at an International Trade Commission (ITC) hearing on Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG). The ITC hearing was the next step in the lengthy trade dispute process, and it follows the U.S. Department of Commerce's announcement last week of tariffs on unfairly dumped OCTG imports that are threatening thousands of American jobs. It’s now up to the ITC to affirm the tariffs on all nine countries in the trade case.
Elected officials from Arkansas to Minnesota showed up in force, all calling on the Commission to back up Commerce's determiniation and ensure that American steelworkers could fairly participate in the booming market for OCTG — the pipe and tube that is used in energy exploration. U.S. Congressman Pete Visclosky (D-IN) reminded the Commission that the steel industry has been down this road before:
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), and Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AK) also testified before the Commission. And a whole crew of Steelworkers came out to show support.
The ITC's final decision on whether the tariffs should stay or go won’t come until September, according to a Commerce Department fact sheet.;" And it's not a sure thing that they'll stay – some South Korean companies are gearing up and the South Korean government plans to appeal to the World Trade Organization.