New Wave Of Antidumping And Countervailing Duty Petitions

Over the past week, the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC) received a flood of new antidumping/countervailing duty petitions against U.S. imports covering several different products in a wide array of industries. Included among the targeted imports are steel welded wire mesh, silicon metal, and copper pipe and tube.

These filings continue a trend seen this year. Despite being only halfway through the year, there have already been 17 petitions filed by domestic manufacturers, putting 2020 on pace to be the highest year for petitions ever. Of note, the new petitions expand the number of countries brought into U.S. trade remedy proceedings to include first-time targets Morocco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iceland. Further information on several of the new petitions is below. 

STEEL WELDED WIRE MESH FROM MEXICO

On June 30, 2020, Insteel Industries Inc., Mid-South Wire Company, National Wire LLC, Oklahoma Steel & Wire Co., and Wire Mesh Corp. filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions on Standard Steel Welded Wire Mesh from Mexico. The public version of the first volume of the petitions can be found here. 

The antidumping petition alleges dumping margins that range from 55.90 percent to 160.74 percent. The countervailing duty petition alleges that the Mexican steel welded wire mesh industry receives countervailable subsidies from 17 individual government programs but does not specify a countervailing duty rate. The proposed scope of these investigations can be found here. 

SILICON METAL FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, ICELAND, MALAYSIA, AND KAZAKHSTAN

On June 30, 2020, Globe Specialty Metals, Inc. and Mississippi Silicon LLC filed an antidumping petition on Silicon Metal from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, and Malaysia and a countervailing duty petition on Silicon Metal from Kazakhstan. The public version of the first volume of the petitions can be found here. 

The dumping margins being alleged for each country are as follows: 

Country                                       Proposed Dumping Margin

Bosnia and Herzegovina              62.65%

Iceland                                         60.46% to 84.79%

Malaysia                                       54.22%

The petitions also allege that Kazakhstan's silicon metal industry receives countervailable subsidies from nine individual government programs, but no subsidy rate is specified. The proposed scope of these investigations can be found here. 

SEAMLESS REFINED COPPER PIPE AND TUBE FROM VIETNAM

On June 30, 2020, the American Copper Tube Coalition filed an antidumping petition on Seamless Refined Copper Pipe and Tube from Vietnam. The public version of Volume I of the petition can be found here. 

The Coalition alleges a dumping margin of up to 110.51 percent. The proposed scope of the investigation can be found here.

PROCEDURE

The ITC and Commerce will oversee these investigations and do remain operational. They will likely follow their statutory timelines, with some procedural modifications. Any importers and foreign producers will soon receive questionnaires from the ITC, which will have quick deadlines.

Please contact Samantha Rocci at srocci@rvia.org with any questions.