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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, and Representatives Tom Petri and Steve Kagen, applauded the International Trade Commission’s decision to rule in favor of the paper company Appleton in their case against China and Germany. The Commission’s vote in Certain Lightweight Thermal Paper from China and Germany, Inv. No. 701-TA-451 and 731-TA-1126-1127 (Final) was affirmative with respect to China and Germany. The vote on China was 6-0 and the vote on Germany was 3-3. The ITC’s ruling means it will take stronger steps to enforce anti-dumping laws against Chinese and German paper manufacturers that endanger U.S. producers.
“This is great news for Appleton and our state’s paper industry, which have stood up to illegal dumping by foreign competitors. Our state’s mill workers can compete against their counterparts anywhere in the world, so long as they compete in a fair market. We will continue our efforts to support this vital industry, and will work with the next Administration to ensure that anti-dumping laws are vigorously enforced on behalf of American workers,” said Sen. Kohl.
“This is great news for hundreds of families in Wisconsin who have been held hostage to unfair trade practices of foreign paper companies,” said Sen. Feingold. “Our trade policies have invited this kind of abuse, and we’ll see more of the same abuses in the future unless Washington is willing to stand up for our domestic firms and workers.”
"The ITC made the right decision by ruling in favor of Appleton Papers and its employee-owner workforce. As I noted during my testimony before that Commission, dumping and subsidies can only harm domestic manufacturers. Today's decision validates that view and backs it up with compensatory tariffs on the illegal imports. Given the competitive global economy, this is a fair and proper response,” said Rep. Petri.
"Today's ruling by the International Trade Commission is reassuring for Appleton, but what about families in Niagara and Kimberly who are real people with real damages as well? What about our U.S. auto industry? What industry will we need to defend next?I remain determined to establish balanced trade between China and these United States, and together we will,” Rep. Kagen said.
On Oct. 2, Senator Kohl, and Congressmen Petri and Kagen, testified on behalf of Appleton before the commission that the company is threatened by overseas paper companies flooding the U.S. markets with artificially low priced products. This hearing came one week after the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that Chinese producers of lightweight thermal paper are receiving illegal subsidies from the Chinese government and that Chinese and German producers are unfairly selling their products in the United States below market value. The ITC has the power to take further action by levying punitive tariffs.
Founded 100 years ago in Appleton, as the Appleton Coated Paper Company, the company is the world's largest producer of carbonless paper and a leading producer of thermal, security and performance packaging products. The company manufactures its products in locations across Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Today, Appleton’s Wisconsin plant employs 761 employees and produces more than 200,000 tons of carbonless, thermal and specialty coated paper grades.
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