Congressman Mike Turner was joined by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Commerce John Bryson to express their concerns regarding recent scope ruling requests with the U.S. Department of Commerce that could undermine the antidumping duty order on petroleum wax candles from China.
“The 108.3 percent antidumping duty on petroleum wax candles from China is critically important to the preservation of the U.S. candle manufacturing industry. If the Department does not maintain and strictly enforce its specific definitions for the excluded candles, we fear that the effectiveness of the antidumping duty order will be negatively impacted,” wrote the lawmakers.
Last year, Turner wrote to then- Commerce Secretary Gary Locke requesting that he support an inclusive interpretation of the antidumping duty order to ensure effective enforcement against unfair trade practices from China. In a win for American candle manufacturers, a statement by the Department clarified that the scope of the order covers candles of all shapes, sizes, styles and types, excluding birthday, utility, and figurine candles. However, just four months after the publication of the final results, there are a number of requests to challenge the Department’s narrow exclusions and erode the scope of the order.
“We respectfully urge the Department to uphold the scope of the order and strictly apply the definitions of excluded candles,” concluded the lawmakers.
Note: The letter to Commerce Secretary Bryson can be found here.