[Ferro-alloys.com]WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker urging the Department to take action if Russia continues to impede an investigation into unfairly traded imports of ferrosilicon from Russia. Recent reports indicate that Russian exporters are undermining the Commerce Department’s investigation by withholding key information necessary to determine the duties that would be imposed on Russian imports if they are deemed as “unfairly dumped” into American markets. Brown’s letter is aimed at protecting jobs at American manufacturers like Beverly, Ohio’s Globe Metallurgical, an alloy producer which manufactures ferrosilicon.

“Manufacturing is the backbone of the American economy and Ohio manufacturers can compete with any in the world,” Brown said. “But they deserve to compete on a level playing field. That means holding accountable countries that violate trade law by illegally dumping their products into our markets. When we do, we help ensure that American companies like Globe Metallurgical in Beverly can continue to provide quality American-made materials used in the manufacturing of steel and cast iron.”

Brown’s letter to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker notes that Russian producers are changing and concealing critical data about their home market sales process, products sold, and dates of sale. This information is crucial in the Department’s investigation and final calculation of anti-dumping margins. These concealments and misreporting can lead to a negative preliminary determination, which would limit Commerce’s ability to impose trade remedies on Russian imports. 

• [Editor:Phillip.Feng]