Aug 03, 2013 The US Commerce Department launched a probe against South Korea, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine of unfair and illegal trade practises. Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman called on the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to protect domestic producers of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) from foreign competitors that use unfair and illegal trade practises. Noting that Ohio-based companies that produce Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) support many good-paying jobs in the state, Portman said if the ITC does not stand up for these American manufactured goods and punish foreign companies who are flooding US our markets with unfairly imported cheap products, businesses and thousands of American workers are at risk. OCTG are used for domestic oil exploration, particularly in the shale industry, and are produced in Ohio by companies including US Steel in Lorain, Wheatland Tube Company in Warren, Vallourec Star in Youngstown, and TMK IPSCO in Brookfield. Each is among the plaintiffs accusing South Korea, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine of unfair and illegal trade practises. Despite historically high level of demand for steel pipe, its domestic industry in the United States has deteriorated due to imports. This has resulted in petitions that allege dumping margins of at least 30 per cent.
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