The US International Trade Commission (ITC) made affirmative determinations Tuesday in the final phase of the antidumping (AD) investigation of steel concrete reinforcing bars from Mexico and the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of steel concrete reinforcing bars from Turkey.
The vote of the ITC was unanimous. As a result, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) will issue an AD order on rebar from Mexico and a CVD order on rebar from Turkey.
Responses from the US domestic steel market were generally positive despite disappointment in the earlier US DOC decision.
“This is an important decision for a number of domestic producers. There is substantial unused domestic rebar capacity, and yet rebar is among the many steel products where we have experienced a dramatic increase in import levels. Today’s unanimous decision from the ITC speaks to the merits of these cases,” said Philip K. Bell, President of the Steel Manufacturers Association. “We had hoped for a stronger decision on Turkey. Mexico and Turkey are both important allies and trading partners, but trade laws exist for a reason. Unfair trade harms domestic steel producers, as well as the communities in which they operate. We applaud the ITC for taking an important step to enforce our nation’s trade laws.”
The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) held a similar sentiment: “We are pleased that the ITC has recognized that the surge in rebar imports has caused damage to the American steel industry and our workers,” said Thomas J. Gibson, AISI president and CEO. “While we remain disappointed and surprised that the Department of Commerce last month did not provide for full relief against unfairly traded Turkish rebar imports, we are encouraged that today’s vote now clears the way for import duties.”