BALTIMORE – Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin said today is "a very a happy day" for the U.S. steel industry, and praised Bethlehem Steel for "making the necessary investment in modernizing its Sparrows Point plant so that the United States can remain competitive in the world steel market."

Since 1998, Bethlehem Steel has invested more than $300 million to replace its existing cold sheet rolling mills with high-volume, high-performance equipment that will improve yield, quality and delivery time.

"In opening this modern, cold-rolled steel production facility, Bethlehem Steel has embraced the challenges of globalization and made it clear that the U.S. steel industry stands ready and willing to compete with any steel manufacturer on a worldwide scale," said Rep. Cardin. "The improvements made to the Sparrows Point facility underscores the need for Congress to ensure that the U.S. steel industry is provided relief from unfair trading practices by our foreign competitors."

The Congressman has been in leader in the House in urging strong action to protect the U.S. steel industry. Rep. Cardin recently testified before the International Trade Commission (ITC) that "Bethlehem Steel and other U.S. steel manufacturers will not survive – or prosper – if they are not provided relief from unfair foreign trade practices."

The U.S. Commerce Department recently released a study documenting unfair trading practices of Korea, Brazil, Japan and Russia. It pointed to the vast overcapacity of steel by these nations as a result of government subsidies of foreign steel industries. These market distortion, according to the study, have been responsible for frequent bouts of large-scale dumping in the United States.

In 1999, Rep. Cardin introduced the Fair Trade Law Enhancement Act, HR 1505, which would strengthen antidumping and countervailing duty laws to help U.S. industries deal with unfair trading practices. He also has introduced the WTO Dispute Settlement Review Commission Act, HR 4706, to ensure that the WTO does not become a de facto court of review for U.S. application of its trade laws.