The International Trade Commission (ITC) voted on Friday to continue investigating the unfair trade of amorphous silica fabric (ASF) thanks to the efforts of U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) joined Poliquin and Collins in requesting an ITC investigation into the unfair sale of ASF from China last month.
Illegal Chinese subsidies for ASF have had a negative impact on the profitability and growth of Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. (AMI), the legislators wrote in the letter to the ITC.
“This unanimous decision by the ITC is extremely encouraging for AMI and hard-working men and women employed there,” Collins, King, Pingree and Poliquin said in a joint statement. “U.S. trade laws are designed to protect American workers against the type of unfair competition alleged in this case. We will continue to monitor the investigations at the ITC and the Department of Commerce and stand with Maine workers against all unfair trade.”
AMI asserted that illegally subsidized ASF from China led to the volume of Chinese ASF imports increasing more than 150 percent from 2012 to 2014.
“AMI further notes, using data sourced from the International Trade Commission’s Dataweb, that the price per unit of ASF from China remained extremely low — between $2 and $4 USD per kilogram — during this time period,” the lawmakers wrote. “By contrast, AMI’s average price per kilogram varied between $17 and $18 USD.”