Posted January 15, 2002 Manufacturing News Commerce Department: Steel Imports Don't Hurt National Security The United States does not rely too heavily on imported iron ore and semi-finished steel for use in making weapons key to national defense, the Commerce Department concluded. The investigation concluded that the United States produces three times the amount of those products needed for national defense. The investigation was requested by Minnesota Democrats Sen. Paul Wellstone and Rep. Jim Oberstar, and by Rep. Bart Stupak. Wellstone called the findings wrongheaded. He said he hopes President George W. Bush will reverse the department's decision and "recognize as I do the central role that steel plays in our national security." A spokesman for companies that use imported steel said the decision was not surprising because less than 1 percent of all of those products are used for defense. "There was no case because there is no scenario under which those imports threaten national defense. That argument is ludicrous," said David Phelps, president of the American Institute for International Steel. At President Bush's request, the U.S. International Trade Commission conducted an investigation and found imports of certain steel products have hurt domestic steel companies. The panel recommended tariffs be imposed. The Bush administration has until early March to make a decision. The Manufacturing Report © Copyright 2002 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. E-mail Editorial Dept: tmr-editorial@lionhrtpub.com Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 2555 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 299, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com