WASHINGTON — Representatives of the air conditioning industry have cautioned the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that continuation of tariffs on steel will encourage U.S. companies to move manufacturing facilities abroad. Citing huge price increases to manufacturers who use steel and pointing to broken long-term contracts, representatives are urging the Bush administration to end the steel tariffs before more jobs are lost and more U.S. companies open plants in other countries.
“ARI urges the commission to consider the serious competitive impact of the steel tariff on our industry in its report to the president this September,” said William G. Sutton, president of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI).