End to aluminium quotas key to industrial growth – Aluminum Association CEO

Aluminium Insider reported that in comments made by Aluminum Association President & CEO Heidi Brock to the US. International Trade Commission (USITC), Brock stressed the need for exemptions from aluminium quotas for both Canada and Mexico to be included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) currently under negotiation. During the hearing, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement: Likely Impact on the US Economy and Specific Industry Sectors, Brock emphasized the industry’s position that such quotas continue to do little to improve the sector. Brock said “The USMCA simply cannot work as intended for the aluminum industry and our customers with tariffs – or quotas to limit access to supply – in place. Full, quota-free exemptions for Canada and Mexico from aluminum tariffs as part of this agreement will benefit the U.S. aluminum industry and the hundreds of thousands of American workers who depend on its success.” Per the Association, over US$220 billion in aluminium was shipped from smelters in the United States to either Canada or Mexico since the initiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and around half of all aluminium either imported to or exported from the United States last year was smelted in or sent to either Mexico or Canada. According to Brock, even if every US smelter came online at full capacity instantly, the output would be far below that necessary to meet the robust and growing domestic thirst for aluminium. Brock also mentioned concerns with the Section 232 exclusion process as well as indicating that the aluminium industry continues to evaluate possible changes due to rules of origin relating to automobiles. She closed by recognizing the government’s diligence in insuring that mechanisms to monitor and prevent transshipments become part of the USMCA.