Since my last update, a few issues have been settled, and a couple more are pending. I’ll use this update to bring you into the loop. The curtain wall case has a hearing date (finally), our work with the EAPA program has shut down two operations, and the industry awaits a final decision in the RUSAL sanctions issue. Meanwhile, there is no indication from the administration that they plan to grant Canada and Mexico an exclusion from 232 tariffs. Curtain wall has been a big issue in the fair trade case in recent months. The long awaited ‘final’ appeal on the scope decision to keep curtain wall covered by our orders has been set. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has scheduled oral argument on the Chinese exporters’ appeal of the Court of International Trade’s ruling that imports of Yuanda’s curtain wall units are subject to unfair trade tariffs on aluminum extrusions. Oral arguments will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 5th at the Court (717 Madison Place, NW
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has led the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry in achieving level competition by winning tariff protection that offsets unfair trade practices of extruders/importers of aluminum profiles produced in China. Our efforts have been of enormous value to domestic extruders and suppliers. Conservatively, an estimated 800 million pounds per year of extrusions are being produced in the U. S. that would have otherwise been lost to China.