PC Wire Strand Availability Facing Risk

Guest article drafted by David Craven, an expert on AD/CVD matters, who serves Diaz Trade Law clients in an Of Counsel capacity.

Do you use, or are you planning to use PC Wire Strand?

PC Wire Strand is a critical raw material used in the production of pre-stressed concrete. The availability of such a product is now at serious risk, which would make producing pre-stressed concrete difficult and expensive. A trade action has just been filed,  seeking to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports from fifteen countries (Argentina, Columbia, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates). This investigation is being conducted in parallel by two separate Federal Agencies; The International Trade Commission which decides whether the U.S. industry is being injured by the imports and the U.S. Department of Commerce which decides the amount of any duties.

PPE Imports During COVID-19

Contributed by Jennifer Diaz and Denise Calle, Diaz Trade Law 

Personal protective equipment shortages have posed a tremendous challenge to the U.S. health-care system. The increased spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic left hospitals and medical facilities with depleted PPE supplies to protect health-care workers and other medical first responders while treating Covid-19 patients. 

Ban on PPE Exports Under Defense Production Act

 On March 18, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) focused on Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19. This EO stems from authority granted under the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA) and seeks to “ensure our healthcare system is able to surge capacity and capability to respond to the spread of COVID-19.”