SF 3233

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/01/2016 09:33am

A resolution
urging the President and Congress of the United States to take action to halt the
illegal dumping of foreign steel into the United States market.

WHEREAS, steel is the backbone of our economy and is critical to economic and national
security by supporting our bridges, taking our buildings to new heights, transporting goods and
services, and existing in everyday appliances in our homes; and

WHEREAS, Minnesota is America's largest producer of iron ore, a natural resource and
key ingredient in the steelmaking process, with Minnesota and Michigan collectively shipping 93
percent of usable iron ore products in the United States in 2014; and

WHEREAS, iron ore mining and manufacturing have been significantly undermined by
steel imports from foreign nations that are priced far below market value; and

WHEREAS, some companies in China, South Korea, India, the Philippines, Vietnam,
Thailand, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia are selling their products in the United States at predatory
prices; and

WHEREAS, dumping foreign steel into the United States is a violation of international
trade agreements and must be halted; and

WHEREAS, Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 states that
products from another country shall not be introduced into the commerce of another country at a
value less than the product's normal price in the destination country; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce has used the provisions of Article VI to
investigate and take antidumping measures against nations in the past, but this process is slow, so
while nations and companies are being identified, investigated, and punished, American workers
are being laid off; and

WHEREAS, action must be taken to more aggressively identify those violating international
trade agreements and punish them accordingly; and

WHEREAS, the economic consequences of steel dumping have begun and will have a
lasting detrimental impact on Minnesota's economy, including seven of the 11 mining operations
on the Iron Range being idled last year; and

WHEREAS, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic
Development, more than 2,000 miners have been laid off from iron ore mining facilities and
another 1,500 workers lost jobs at mine vendors and suppliers; and

WHEREAS, laid-off workers are seeking out new jobs that provide substantially lower
income and fewer benefits and mines on the Iron Range continue to stand idle or operate well
below their capacity, and the people who live in our communities will continue to struggle to
provide for their families; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota that it urges the President
and the Congress of the United States to take action to halt the illegal dumping of foreign steel
into the United States market.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota is
directed to prepare copies of this memorial and transmit them to the President of the United States,
the President and the Secretary of the United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United
States House of Representatives, and Minnesota's Senators and Representatives in Congress.