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For Immediate Release WEIRTON, W.VA. – Weirton Steel Corp. today reported it has filed objections to various U.S. and foreign companies seeking to have certain types of steel imports excluded from President Bush's 201 tariff program. The company filed 20 objections Wednesday with the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative. Weirton Steel is expected to file additional objections in the near future. Last December, the government opened its second round of accepting exclusion requests from U.S. and foreign companies. In total, 636 requests were filed by the mid-January deadline with the government expected to decide on the requests in March. "We're not concerned with most of the requests that involve types of steel not produced or readily available in the U.S. However, we strongly object to requests to stop tariffs on the types of steel that we produce or could produce at Weirton Steel," said Gregg Warren, director-corporate communications and government relations. "Our objections cover specific types of imported hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized and tinplated steel." Warren said the government divided the 636 exclusion requests into four groups. At the beginning of each week this month, one group is released for companies to review and decide whether or not to file objections. "We're currently working on the second group which contains 160 requests. Based on our early research, we'll probably file about 20 additional objections. Then we'll review the final two groups and most likely file more objections," Warren noted. "Company personnel must research each request to determine if we'll file an objection. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes, sometimes several hours to determine the impact of a request. Occasionally, the product description is vague and takes a considerable amount of time to review." Current requests are among the second of three opportunities for companies to ask the tariffs be lifted. During each of the three years the tariffs are in place, the government accepts exclusion requests. Of the nearly 1,500 requests filed by U.S. and foreign companies during the first opportunity last summer, the government approved 747. The final request period will be held in early 2004. Warren noted that Weirton Steel filed 121 objections last year. Only one of its objections was overruled involving Galfan, a type of galvanized steel produced by the company on a limited basis. "The 201 tariffs provide the domestic steel industry with a much needed time-out from surging unfair imports that wreaked havoc on U.S. steelmakers from 1998 through part of last year. The integrity of the tariff program must be upheld. Therefore, we'll continue to aggressively participate in this objection process," Warren said. In March 2002, Bush imposed the tariffs after an investigation by the U.S. International Trade Commission on import surges. The president placed tariffs on 16 types of steel products. Schagrin Associates of Washington, D.C., represents Weirton Steel on trade issues and is handling objections for the company. Weirton Steel is the seventh
largest U.S. integrated steel producer.
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