Once again, US Customs and Border Protection has invited applications from domestic manufacturers for the disbursement of Byrd Amendment funds for fiscal year 2005. Customs' public notice is more than 600 pages in length, and it contains a list of all outstanding antidumping and countervailing duty orders as well as the names of the domestic producers which filed or supported the original antidumping and countervailing duty petitions. Included in Customs' notice are the orders against carbon and alloy steel wire rod from Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, Moldova, Trinidad & Tobago, and Ukraine. Customs has identified potential recipients for this year's disbursements to include AmeriSteel, Birmingham Steel, Cascade, Connecticut Steel, Co-Steel Raritan, GS Industries, Keystone, North Star, Republic Technologies, and Rocky Mountain. These were the mills that were involved in the original investigations, and some have been closed (GS Industries) or acquired by other companies (North Star by Gerdau, Georgetown by Mittal) since that time. In fiscal year 2003, Customs made Byrd Amendment disbursements of almost $3.5 million to ISG Georgetown, Gerdau USA, Keystone, Connecticut and North Star. Also included in Customs' notice are the orders against stainless steel wire rod from Brazil, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Spain and Taiwan. Customs has identified AL Tech, Armco, Carpenter, Republic Engineered Steels, and Talley as well as the United Steelworkers of America as potential recipients of the funds available or disbursements. In fiscal year 2003, Carpenter and Universal Stainless & Alloy (which acquired AL Tech's assets) received $2.5 million in disbursements under the Byrd Amendment in connection with the orders against stainless rod. On the retaliation front, Japan and South Korea are likely to proceed in imposing trade sanctions on US imports by the summer if the US Congress fails to take any steps by then to rescind the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act of 2000 (otherwise known as the "Byrd Amendment"). These two countries, which have the greatest retaliation potential, will probably move forward in applying sanctions before the congressional summer recess if no signal of movement against the provision is seen by then. The targeted recess date is August 1, 2005. Japan has $72.4 million collected and disbursed to US firms from duty orders on its imports in 2004, giving it a retaliation potential of $52.1 million in punitive duties. South Korea had $44.7 million collected, giving it a retaliation potential of $32.2 million. Next in the line is the European Union, with potential of $27.9 million, followed by Mexico with $20.9 million and Canada with $11.2 million. All together, $203.3 million was collected and disbursed to US firms in fiscal year 2004 from antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports from the eight complainants in the WTO case. This gives them a combined retaliation potential of $146.4 million. However, the retaliation potential for Canada could shoot up enormously if US authorities start disbursing the huge amount of duties collected from antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber. According to an International Trade Canada background document, $3.5 billion in cash deposits have already been collected on Canadian softwood imports since the duty orders took effect and are continuing to be collected.
 American Wire Producers Association |
