Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa is among the U.S. senators urging the Administration to give full consideration to the domestic steel industry’s concerns about unfairly priced imports in a case that the manufacturer says caused reduced operating hours at a facility in Camanche in Clinton County.
Iowa’s other senator-Tom Harkin – is also among the Senators who signed the letter.
Ipsco Steel in Camanche issued a statement earlier announciong the reduction in hours at three plants, including the one located in Camanche. The statement went on to say the decision to reduce uneconomic welded pipe operations was driven by increasing pressure from unfairly traded imports. The company stated this will result in a reduction of operating hours, contract work and, possibly, layoffs. The reductions were estimated at about 30-percent.
Other steel plants claimed to be impacted by the same price pressures.
The Senators wrote to express a concern with the Commerce Department’s preliminary determination in the anti-dumping investigation of imports from a company based in Korea.
Grassley’s letter urged that as the Department continues the investigation, we ask that you fully consider the domestic industry’s allegations and take action against any unfair dumping to the fullest extent of the law.”
Grassley and his fellow senators urged the Department of Commerce to consider all of the data associated with this case and fully enforce U.S. trade laws to ensure American businesses and workers are not harmed by unfairly priced imports.
