NAFEM to comment on Section 232 exclusion process

NAFEM and other members of the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users (CAMMU) will respond to a request for comments about ways to improve the exclusion process for the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs requested by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). BIS is seeking information on the appropriateness of the information requested, as well as the efficiency and transparency of the process. It reports reviewing 180,000 requests for exclusions to date and granting 78,500, a 43 percent success rate.

According to Paul Nathanson, senior principal at Bracewell, who leads CAMMU, “Our comments will specifically address the need to end the practice of allowing a domestic steel company to file an objection to an exclusion request even though the company does not have the ability to make the product. CAMMU also will urge DOC to allow exclusions to be generally applicable for a particular product and use, instead of the current practice of requiring the request to be company-specific. If this approach is approved, companies would no longer need to file duplicative requests for previously approved products.”