(L-R: members of AISI’s Board of Directors representing steel plants in OH: Gibson; Roger Newport, Chief Executive Officer, AK Steel; John Ferriola, Chairman, CEO and President, Nucor Corporation; Sen. Brown; Chuck Schmitt, President , SSAB Americas and Chairman, AISI; Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President and CEO, Cliffs Natural Resources, Inc.; Mario Longhi, President and CEO, U.S. Steel; and Jim Baske, CEO North America, ArcelorMittal. Courtesy of AISI.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), the co-chair of the Senate Steel Caucus, earned the Congressional Steel Champion award from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) for his commitment to the American steel industry and its workers.

“The men and women of our steel industry can compete with anyone in the world, but they need a level playing field,” said Brown. “With market conditions and trading partners that don’t follow the rules, the steel industry continues to face unique challenges. That’s why we worked so hard to improve our trade enforcement tools in the Leveling the Playing Field law so our steel companies have the ability to fight back against unfair trade practices. We must build on that progress and continue to support the U.S. industry.”

“This is a challenging time for the steel industry,” said Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of AISI. “The surge of foreign imports that continue to come into this nation unfairly, and at record levels, puts our economic health at risk. Senator Brown is, and always has been, a leader in the fight to pass laws, like the Leveling the Playing Field Act and currency legislation, that will help combat the foreign trade distorting practices that injure U.S. industries and workers. We are grateful for his strong advocacy on so many issues that impact the American steel industry and the 16,000 steel industry workers in Ohio.  Sherrod Brown is truly a steel champion and we were honored to present him with this much-deserved award.”

Brown received the award in recognition of his long-standing support of the steel industry and his authorship of legislation to improve the antidumping and countervailing duty laws which was signed into law last summer.  The award was presented in Washington, D.C. at the winter meeting of AISI’s Board of Directors.

The Leveling the Playing Field Act, introduced by Brown in March 2015 and signed into law in June 2015, will restore strength to antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) statutes that allow businesses and workers in the United States to petition the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission (ITC) when foreign producers sell goods in the U.S. below market price or receive illegal subsidies. This will benefit Ohio’s steel companies including: Picoma Industries in Cambridge, Sharon Tube in Niles, Wheatland Tube in Warren, Vallourec Star in Youngstown, and AK Steel.

 

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