Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR), issued the following statement after testifying before the International Trade Commission (ITC) earlier today in support of Arkansas companies who produce oil country tubular goods (OCTG), used to fashion pipelines that carry oil to refineries:

“Manufacturing jobs are hugely important to Arkansas as well as the rest of the country. As the economy continues to recover here at home, we must remain vigilant to ensure other countries are not utilizing unfair trade practices that skew the playing field and put domestic jobs at risk.

“In America, we play by the rules and are held accountable for our actions. Our workers are not asking for an unfair advantage or to be insulated from import competition. They are simply asking for a level playing field and that our trade laws are fully enforced. I am confident that after a full review of the facts, the Commission will agree to allow this investigation to go forward and determine the level of duties that are necessary to ensure fair competition for our workers, families and communities.”

Both Congressman Crawford’s final testimony and a photograph of the Congressman testifying before the ITC are attached.

The three companies appearing before the ITC this morning are Maverick Tube Corporation, TMK IPSCO, and JMC Steel Group. All three make OCTG products in Blytheville and Hickman, Arkansas. Combined, the plants in these cities employ over a thousand workers and have a total steel tubular capacity of more than one million tons.