{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://visclosky.house.gov/visclosky-steel-caucus-send-letter-itc", "Visclosky, Steel Caucus, send letter to the ITC", "2013-08-16", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "IN", "Peter Visclosky", "V000108", "visclosky.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Below is\u00a0the full text of the letter sent by Congressional Steel Caucus Chairman Tim Murphy and Vice Chairman Pete Visclosky to the United States International Trade Commission urging an investigation into imported oil country tubular goods (OCTG).\n\u00a0\nThe Honorable Irving A. Williamson  \n\tChairman  \n\tU.S. International Trade Commission  \n\t500 E Street, S.W.  \n\tWashington, D.C. 20436\n\u00a0\nRE:\u00a0Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) from India, Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam (701-TA-499-500 and 731-TA-1215-1223 (Preliminary))\n\u00a0\nDear Chairman Williamson:\nWe are writing to express our support for our constituents in the domestic steel industry as it pertains to the ongoing investigation of unfairly-traded imports from countries in the above-referenced case filed on July 2, 2013.\nThe U.S. OCTG industry represents a critical segment in our nation\u2019s steel sector. The domestic industry makes highly advanced and valuable products that serve an array of customers in the energy sector. The health of the domestic industry is essential to the country\u2019s ability to secure energy independence and take full advantage of the economic opportunity posed by development of offshore and vast new shale play areas. OCTG manufacturers are also important customers of the nation\u2019s steel industry, acquiring the flat-rolled and billet products necessary to make OCTG finished goods.\nWhile this segment of the steel industry has fought back to recover from the Great Recession, the growth in development of the Marcellus Shale, Barnett Shale, and other oil and gas fields was looked at as a promising opportunity for manufacturers. Instead, the industry has faced a continued onslaught of unfairly-traded and illegally subsidized imports from the above-named countries.\nImports of OCTG from the subject countries increased from 840,000 net tons in 2010 to more than 1,770,000 net tons in 2012. The rise in imports has continued into 2013 and, as a result, the domestic industry has experienced lost sales and a deterioration of its financial position \u2014 even in a period of historically strong demand. \u00a0Import data show that prices for subject products have been consistently and dramatically undersold in the market; the petitions in these proceedings allege dumping margins that typically exceed 30 percent, and in most cases are far higher.\nUnfairly-traded imports cannot take sales and jobs away from American workers and employers. It is particularly troubling in the context of an industry that has seen repeated surges of unfair trade in recent years. At a time when manufacturing and employment is still depressed, it is vital that the Commission take action to ensure American producers can compete on a level playing field.\nThe Commission must fully and effectively enforce our trade laws, and ensure that foreign producers refusing to play by the rules are not permitted to injure American workers and companies. Therefore, we urge you to make an affirmative preliminary determination in this proceeding and allow a full and comprehensive investigation of the allegations in the petitions.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://visclosky.house.gov/visclosky-steel-caucus-send-letter-itc"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4833591412752867, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}