Collins, King, Pingree and Poliquin Applaud ITC’s Unanimous Final Decision, Ruling in Favor of Auburn Manufacturing and Against Illegal Chinese Trade

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin applauded the affirmative determinations from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in its final phase antidumping and countervailing duty investigations of Chinese producers for selling unfairly subsidized industrial grade amorphous silica fabric (ASF) in the United States at less than fair value. The ITC voted unanimously in agreement with Auburn Manufacturing, Inc. and the Maine Delegation that the unfair trade practices occurred.

“Maine businesses and Maine workers can compete and win against anybody in the world—but the rules need to be fair,” said Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin. “After a long and hard-fought effort, we are tremendously pleased the ITC has today voted unanimously in favor of Auburn Manufacturing and to stand up for Maine jobs against illegal trade from China. This is welcome news for AMI, its workers, and for our Great State of Maine.”

Now that the ITC has made this final determination, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of this product by Chinese producers. This will re-level the playing field for AMI and other American companies that produce industrial grade ASF textiles.

Led by owner Kathie Leonard, AMI has pushed back against the rise in unfairly traded imports of ASF, a heat-resistant material, from China. Last month, Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin each provided testimony in support of AMI during a U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) hearing in Washington. The ITC is tasked with conducting the injury investigations in the preliminary and final phase of trade disputes, and the Department of Commerce determines the extent of unfair trade practices and sets the appropriate duty rate.

AMI is a small, woman-owned manufacturing producer with two locations in Auburn and Mechanic Falls. AMI employs forty people and is a leading producer of high performance, heat-resistant fabrics and textiles. The company first filed a petition with the ITC in January 2016. It has lost business and had to lay off workers as a result of illegally subsidized and dumped Chinese imports.