Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Written by Tim Triplett
September 11, 2020
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people on the West Coast who are suffering the threat and devastation of historic forest fires. The loss of life and property is staggering. And the blow to business and commerce in the region has yet to be measured. Face masks are doing double duty against COVID and smoke. There’s limited information at the moment, but Steel Market Update will try to report on how the fires are impacting manufacturing in California and Oregon in upcoming issues.
The Commerce Department will host a series of webinars on how to use its new SIMA import monitoring system. More information about the webinars can be found at https://www.trade.gov/updates-steel-import-licensing.
As trade attorney and SMU columnist Lewis Leibowitz explains elsewhere in this issue, Commerce is launching a new Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) system, effective Oct. 13. The new system will require that importers document not only where the finished steel product came from, but also where the substrate used to make it was originally “melted and poured.”
In the past, if steel was altered substantially through a process such as cold rolling or coating, where it was processed became its country of origin for trade purposes. Now, with the new system, Commerce will take into consideration where the steel was originally produced in an effort to more readily identify transshipment and circumvention of antidumping or countervailing duty orders.
The U.S. steel industry has been a big supporter of the “melted and poured” concept. U.S. steel execs lobbied hard for it to become part of the USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico in regard to automotive production. USMCA requires 70 percent of each vehicle’s steel and aluminum to originate in North America.
Big River Steel has reportedly encountered additional issues with the galvanizing line at its mill in Osceola, Ark., which was damaged by an electrical failure on Aug. 30. Repairs will be completed and the line will be back up and running between Sept. 17-23, according to press reports.
This is the last week for registered attendees to access the recorded sessions from the SMU Virtual Steel Summit. The conference platform will no longer be live and accessible after this Friday.
As always, your business is truly appreciated by all of us here at Steel Market Update.
Tim Triplett, Executive Editor
Tim Triplett
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Final Thoughts
The whole SMU team is packing up our laptops and our SMU polos/cardigans, loading up the PowerPoint slides, and preparing to make the trek down to Florida for the Tampa Steel Conference. There will be plenty to talk about!
Final Thoughts
From one group of folks, I’ve heard that Trump might not wait until Feb. 1 – the date he threatened on to place tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. They say he could act as soon as Friday. And then there are those who don’t think anything will happen before April 1. That’s the deadline for Commerce, Treasury, and USTR to submit key reports on “America First Trade Policy” to President Trump.
Final Thoughts
Trump made a clarification in a speech on Monday. Previously, he had declared the word “tariff” the most beautiful word in the dictionary. No longer.
Final Thoughts
President Donald Trump on Sunday hammered Colombia with 25% tariffs and threatened to increase them to 50%. Trump in a post on Truth Social said he took the action not because of a trade dispute but because the South American nation had refused to accept planes carrying deported immigrants. The president also cited "national security" concerns, just as he did to justify 25% Section 232 tariffs on steel in his first term. Even the 50% threat echoes his first term. Turkish steel, like that of most nations, was assessed a 25% tariff in March 2018. Trump doubled Turkey's tariff to 50% via a tweet in August of that year over a matter unrelated to steel.
Final Thoughts
We surveyed many of you this week and asked what you wanted to see from the new Trump administration. Responses were varied but fell largely into three groups: tariffs and trade policy, the Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, and those who are concerned about too much government sway in steel. Some also expressed hope that President Trump would continue the infrastructure spending that began under former President Biden.