USTR Suggests Shipbuilding Fees Will Be Moderated
The $1.5 million and $1 million docking fees proposed under the Section 301 shipbuilding case (see 2502240006) are "just those -- they're proposed actions," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., during an appearance in front of the Senate Finance Committee April 8.
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Cassidy had questioned the wisdom of imposing a $1 million fee on a shipping company with 45 South Korean ships and five from China. Cassidy said the Port of New Orleans handles all the commodities coming out of the Midwest, which travel down the Mississippi River before exiting the U.S., and said the fee would clearly impact his ports, and the ability of those goods to be exported.
"They're not all going to be implemented," Greer reassured him. He said the agency is reviewing comments and hearing testimony, and said he's met personally "with certain stakeholders" as part of that process.
He said: "I think the president will look very carefully to make sure we have the right amount of time, the right incentives to build shipbuilding here without affecting our commodity exports."