Southern West Virginia News

Today, Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) and seven other members of Congress addressed a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. They requested a review of the current anti-circumvention inquiry into hardwood plywood imports and its effects on American hardwood companies.

The letter was co-signed by Representatives Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Pat Fallon (R-TX), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Ben Cline (R-VA), and Jack Bergman (R-MI). The representatives expressed concern over the ongoing antidumping/countervailing administrative review's impact on significant employers within their districts, notably Northwest Hardwoods (NWH).

In 2020, the Department of Commerce began an inquiry into Vietnamese imports of hardwood plywood. This inquiry aimed to identify products that were circumventing existing trade orders. The department stated that certain core veneers produced in Vietnam or third countries were excluded from this inquiry if they were assembled in Vietnam and combined with Chinese face and back veneers. Despite this, Commerce concluded these products were indistinguishable from those under scrutiny, leading to a certification regime determining import eligibility.

The letter emphasized the need to revisit the anti-circumvention inquiry to safeguard U.S. companies like NWH, which has made efforts to ensure compliance with trade laws. NWH retained an auditing firm to confirm that its imported products originated from Vietnam and adhered to Commerce Department regulations.

On August 8, 2024, Commerce's preliminary decision allowed more Vietnamese exporters into the certification regime after satisfactorily responding to source-related questionnaires. Companies failing to respond remained subject to duties.

NWH maintains confidence that its imports fall outside the scope of the anti-circumvention inquiry and shared relevant information with Commerce in April 2024. The representatives urged Commerce to consider such data when making final decisions, emphasizing that American companies should not suffer due to non-compliance by Vietnamese firms when evidence supports their case.

They warned that significant duties could severely impact NWH's operations in the U.S., potentially leading to layoffs and financial strain forcing facility closures. The letter concluded by urging a careful assessment of domestic companies' situations and economic harm if unfairly disadvantaged in this process.