[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 107 (Wednesday, September 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SURGE OF CHINESE IMPORTS THREATENS VALUABLE MANUFACTURING JOBS IN WEST 
                                VIRGINIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 13, 2000

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my concern about a small 
manufacturer in my district that is battling a tidal wave of low-priced 
Chinese imports and to underscore the importance of strong trade laws.
  Portec Rail Products, Inc. is a small business with manufacturing 
operations in Huntington, West Virginia. Portec makes steel rail joints 
which hold rail sections together and ensure smooth passage for 
commercial and passenger trains alike. Portec's West Virginia 
manufacturing facility represents the core of the kind of small, hard 
working American company that we all like to see succeed. Portec 
provides solid, semiskilled manufacturing jobs for many hard-working 
West Virginians. Additionally, Portec purchases steel bars from a West 
Virginia steel producer, further enriching the economy of the state.
  During the last three years, U.S. imports of low-priced steel rail 
joints from China have increased exponentially. According to official 
U.S. Department of Commerce statistics, imports of Chinese rail joints 
increased from 78,000 pounds in 1997 to 355,878 in 1999, a 356 percent 
increase. There has been no let-up--during the first quarter of 2000, 
Chinese imports were at a record pace of 175,000 pounds--a figure 
which, if annualized, would arnount to a 788 percent increase since 
1997.
  Chinese imports are also underselling U.S. prices, resulting in lost 
sales and depressed prices for the U.S. industry. When Portec loses a 
sale to what might very well be dumped imports from China, it loses the 
profits and R&D dollars necessary to develop new products and services 
for its customers. This threat is not Just looming in the future--it is 
happening today and already has impacted Portec. In fact, Portec 
recently lost a contract to supply steel rail joints to our very own 
METRO in Washington, D.C. because the Chinese bid was lower. So, the 
threat to this small, West Virginia company is very clear.
  I can assure you that Portec does not intend to leave the challenge 
unanswered, and in fact, I will do my best to help them combat the 
harmful import surge from China through trade cases or other means. We 
must protect American manufacturing jobs from unfair import surges that 
injure American industry. The United States must maintain strong 
antidumping laws and ensure that they provide effective relief to small 
U.S. businesses before they are driven out of business by unfair trade.

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