U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) on Nov. 6 applauded U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) action that ensures Mexico will better monitor the transshipment of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) products to the United States.
“I am committed to working together with my colleagues and the administration to ensure the future quality and safety of America’s critical infrastructure — our electrical grid — from complete reliance on foreign manufacturers of steel,” Rep. Balderson said.
The U.S. and Mexico successfully concluded consultations held pursuant to their Joint Statement of May 17, 2019 to address the transshipment of GOES products from outside the North American region into the U.S. through GOES-containing downstream products, according to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
The USTR’s announcement last week followed a year-long effort by Rep. Balderson, who requested that the Trump administration address unfair trade practices that he and his colleagues said threatened AK Steel’s Zanesville, Ohio, and Butler, Pa., steel facilities.
AK Steel, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs, is the last remaining North American producer of GOES, which is a crucial element of the U.S. electrical grid, according to Rep. Balderson’s office.
“If AK Steel’s manufacturing of electrical steel is edged out by foreign competitors, not only will Ohioans lose their jobs, but the integrity of the American electrical grid will be in peril,” said Rep. Balderson.
In March, Rep. Balderson and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) urged President Trump to address the increase in GOES imported from Canada and Mexico in the form of laminations and cores. And in April, the lawmakers joined U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) to request that the president include those products under Section 232 of the Trade Act of 1962, which authorizes the president to impose import restrictions on products imported into the U.S. “in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security.”
Under the newly reached trade agreement, Mexico will not be subject to Section 232 action, according to the Office of the USTR.
“I am thankful President Trump and USTR Lighthizer have taken meaningful action to protect steel jobs in Zanesville and Butler,” Rep. Balderson said. “This announcement marks a crucial step forward in the fight to protect American steel, American manufacturing and more than 1,000 well-paying jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania.”