The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“FOREIGN DUMPING” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the Senate section on pages S3927 on June 24, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FOREIGN DUMPING
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, I wish to speak about the importance of a level playing field for Minnesotan miners and American steel. My State's iron ore mines and the thousands of Minnesota jobs they support are the backbone of the Iron Range. It started in the days when miners like my grandfather worked in the underground mines with picks and shovels and continues today in open-pit mines with giant electric shovels and haul trucks.
Through the generations, these Minnesotans have earned a reputation for possessing a strong work ethic. They have proven that our miners on the range can compete with anybody in the world on a level playing field. Unfortunately, that fairness is being compromised by foreign trading practices that are putting steelworker jobs in jeopardy.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is currently investigating the trading practices of countries that are dumping steel products in the U.S. market. This flood of foreign oil country tubular--OCTG--goods is causing our Nation's steel industry to lose sales and market to underpriced foreign competitors. An example is South Korea, which is the world's largest steel industry but has no domestic OCTG market. The result is Korean producers exporting more to the United States, creating a drop in the price of steel.
While the U.S. demand for OCTG products is increasing, American producers are not seeing the benefits. In fact, they are losing sales to foreign competitors, with imports of OCTG doubling since 2008 and increased by 61 percent this year compared to the previous year. This is already having an impact in American facilities with reduced hours and the threat of layoffs for workers.
Dumping of steel products has nationwide economic implications. The OCTG steel produced for the U.S. energy market accounts for approximately 10 percent of domestic steel production. U.S. OCTG producers directly employ nearly 8,000 workers across the country, and every one of those jobs in turn supports another 7 jobs in the supply chain. Here in Minnesota, where the steelmaking process begins, there are more than 10,000 high-quality, steel-related jobs.
That is why I recently joined 58 of my colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to the Secretary of Commerce expressing concern at the antidumping investigation of OCTG imports from South Korea. The letter asks the administration to more closely examine these imports for any misrepresentations in origin and nature of the products and to take action against any unfair dumping practices.
We all know our industries need to be competitive--but they also need to be competing on fair terms. It is critical that our trade laws serve as the last line of defense for American companies and workers. I will continue fighting to ensure that we have a level playing field for this Minnesota industry vital to the economic prosperity of our State.
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