US Recommending Settlement in Suit on Section 232 Exclusion Case

The U.S. is "in the process of recommending settlement" in a case from steel importer NLMK Pennsylvania regarding the Commerce Department's refusal to grant it exclusions for Section 232 steel and aluminum duties, the government and NLMK said in a joint status report at the Court of International Trade. The parties asked the court to allow them to file another joint status report in 30 days (NLMK Pennsylvania v. United States, CIT # 21-00507).

Should the settlement authority approve the settlement, "the parties will be able to sign the settlement agreement and file the proposed stipulated judgment with the Court," the report said. The parties reported in October they had reached an agreement in principle regarding the exclusions, though no details were provided (see 2310020060).

NLMK sought 58 exclusions for two different types of semi-finished stainless steel slabs from Russia, which Commerce rejected after finding that the domestic industry was capable of timely making the slabs in enough quantities. The trade court found the agency didn't properly support the rejections (see 2301230027). The parties were arguing over the length of the remand period when settlement talks began.