BALTIMORE – Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin today praised the U.S. Department Justice for filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of International Trade siding with U.S. steel manufacturers against a decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC) that certain U.S. cold-rolled steel was not materially injured or threatened by imports from Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Russia, South Africa and Thailand.

Last September, the Congressman testified before the ITC urging continued relief from unfair traded steel imports. In November, the ITC decided to continue existing anti-dumping and countervailing duties on foreign imports of corrosion resistant sheet and plate products, but not for U.S. producers of cold-rolled sheet products.

After the ITC decision in November, the Congressman strongly urged the Clinton Administration to be more aggressive in enforcing our existing trade laws. "Filing this amicus brief sets a precedent and puts our competitors on notice that we will aggressively enforce our trade laws against illegal imports," said Rep. Cardin.

The Congressman, who represents many of the workers at Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point, Md., pointed out that Bethlehem Steel has invested more than $300 million in a new cold-rolled steel production facility in an effort to improve yield, quality, and delivery time.

"The unfair trading practices of foreign steel manufacturers is well documented," said Rep. Cardin. The Congressman pointed to a recent Department of Commerce study documenting unfair trading practices of foreign steel producers. The study pointed to the vast overcapacity of steel by foreign competitors as a result of government subsidies and frequent bouts of large-scale illegal dumping of steel in the United States.