Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Mike Turner testified before the United States International Trade Commission to ensure that the duties he fought for and helped secure are extended and that the ability of American companies, like Appvion, to create and maintain American jobs is protected.
On behalf of West Carrolton’s Appvion Paper Facility, Congressman Turner urged the Commission to keep the antidumping and countervailing duties on lightweight thermal paper from China and Germany in place for another five years.
“Appvion’s investment in my southwest Ohio community has created hundreds of new jobs throughout our region. However, the expiration of current trade duty orders on dumped and subsidized imports threatens their ability to be successful in American markets.
These duties have leveled the playing field and allowed Appvion to improve its sales and profitability.
Good manufacturing jobs in Ohio are dependent on the extension of these duties and on the preservation of a fair trade environment.
We must make certain that companies like Appvion who are willing to invest substantially in manufacturing in America are adequately protected from any unfair competition,” said Congressman Mike Turner.
“Representative Turner has supported efforts to ensure fair competition for all producers of lightweight thermal paper in the U.S. since we filed our first petition in 2007. We appreciate his strong commitment to our company, our Ohio manufacturing operations and to ensuring a fair and level playing field on which to compete,” said Mark Richards, Chief Executive Officer of Appvion, Inc.
“Appvion employs nearly 1,700 people across the United States in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania and the fair trading of lightweight thermal paper in the United States is vital to our bottom line. We know that our product can compete on a level playing field. However, keeping these duties in place is the only effective way to protect the domestic marketplace from foreign competitors who won’t play by the rules.”
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Timeline
On October 22, 2014, Congressman Turner joined with U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and sent a letter to the Chairman of the ITC that called for the continuation of current dumping margins on lightweight thermal paper (LWTP) from China and Germany.
In August 2014, Turner and U.S. Senators Brown and Portman joined with other congressional members, to urge the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure that companies who are importing LWTP from China and Germany are paying the requisite duties owed on such products.
In February, 2014, Turner, Brown, and Portman called on the Commerce Department to use to use its legal authority under U.S. trade law to address fraudulent behavior by foreign companies dumping into domestic markets. According to Commerce, German exporter Papierfabrik August Koehler AG and Koehler America, Inc—known as Koehler—sold merchandise at a less than normal value and manipulated data to avoid paying antidumping duties for imports on LWTP.
In April 2013, Turner, Brown, and Portman commended action by the Administration that upheld a decision to impose a duty on the manufacturer.
In April 2008. Turner led a House letter to the Secretary of Commerce in support of Appleton Papers’ (now Appvion) unfair trade practices petition concerning LWTP from China and Germany.
In 2008, Congressman Turner testified before the Commission regarding the original thermal paper investigation that led to the institution of the current antidumping and countervailing duties.
In November, 2007, Turner wrote to the Chairman of the ITC in support of Appleton Papers’ (now Appvion) petition concerning LWTP from China and Germany.