Troubling Bill Passed by Congress--
House and Senate negotiators on the Agriculture appropriations bill approved a trade policy amendment sponsored
by Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) that will create a financial windfall for companies and lawyers who successfully sue foreign firms accused of
dumping products into the US. Under this provision, the federal government would hand over the duties imposed on foreign companies to the
corporations that initiated the trade case. Since the proceeds from these cases normally go into the US Treasury, the change would dramatically
boost the incentives for filing antidumping and countervailing duty cases.--Full Story--
Fall Meeting - Full of Interesting Insights--AWPA's Fall Meeting
offered attendees a full roster of experienced and knowledgeable speakers who focused on the international trade arena. These
presentations were followed by Capitol Hill meetings during which over 40 AWPA members visited 65 offices, and fifteen visits were with the Member
of Congress in person. These meetings were very important in getting the word out to legislators about the importance of free and fair trade. Legislators
were also asked to co-sponsor and support the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition's (CITAC) bill ? "The Trade Law Fairness to US
Industry Act of 2000." This legislation is scheduled to be introduced during the upcoming Lame Duck congressional session.--Full Story--
Steel Industry Requests Clinton Section 201 Case--
US steel producers have requested, in a letter signed by the president
of the United Steelworkers and 75 steel industry executives, that President
Clinton initiate a Section 201 trade case to help the industry and stop
imports. Under US trade law, the president has the authority to trigger
an investigation by the International Trade Commission (ITC) as the first
step toward action to protect the industry. An affirmative 201 decision
would allow the president to then temporarily restrict imports of products
that the ITC determines have seriously damaged domestic producers.--Full Story--
Rep. Crane Cites India, S. America as Trade Priorities--
The House of Representatives Trade Subcommittee Chairman Phil Crane (R-IL)
cited expanded trade with India and South America as priorities for next
year's legislative agenda. Often listed as a possible Ways and Means Chairman
during the next congressional session, Mr. Crane's priorities will most
likely dictate the legislative trade agenda.--Full Story--
Inside Washington--
TRADE, China PNTR,
President Clinton signed the China PNTR bill. But even as he was doing
so, he was sending USTR Charlene Barshefsky to Beijing to nudge the Chinese
to complete its agreements to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Talks are stalled as China has backpedaled on details of its trade accords
with the US and other nations. A delay could push China's admittance into
the WTO until next year.--Full Story--
ELG Proposal Released--Revised Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG) for the Metalworking and Machinery
Products (MP&M) sector has been signed and sent to the Federal Register
for publication. AWPA was able to obtain a pre-publication issue in time
for the Operations Managers meeting.--Full Story--
Ops Managers Learn Where to Find Workers--At the Operations Managers meeting held last month in Ontario, California,
attendees learned some useful ways of attracting and finding new employees
in this tight job market. They also received a briefing on the recently
released Effluent Limitation Guidelines for the wire industry.--Full Story--
Calendar of Events Membership News
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American Wire Producers Association
801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 211
Alexandria, VA 22314-1757
Tel (703) 299-4434 | Fax (703) 299-9233 | E-mail info@awpa.org | Web: www.awpa.org
