November 2023 Volume 5

WASHINGTON UPDATE

FIA Government Affairs Update By Megha Patel

What a whirlwind 2023 has been! FIA’s government affairs department has been incredibly active this past year. The organization has held countless, productive meetings with government agencies and stakeholders to spread the forging industry’s message. From launching the first-ever state lobby day, to engaging trade counsel in Canada, the association has been dedicated to expanding advocacy efforts throughout all of North America. This past September, FIA hosted its first-ever state lobby day in Michigan. The organization has primarily focused its efforts on the federal level in the past; however, to reach a larger number of policymakers and make a greater impact, it was time to expand to state legislatures. During our time with Michigan legislators, it became clear that most did not know much about forging and how critical the industry is to a prosperous economy and national security. Aside from the educational aspect, members and FIA staff discussed policy initiatives that are beneficial and harmful to forging producers and suppliers across the state. Currently, the Michigan legislature has proposed an energy package that would pass onerous utility costs onto our members. FIA explained our opposition to this legislation as Michigan already ranks as the 13th highest state in industrial electricity costs and the proposed bills would only increase that. In addition to having discussions regarding the energy package, workforce development dominated most of the meetings. FIA highlighted the lack of skilled workers as a pressing issue for member companies and the negative impact on the economy due to the labor shortage. Members and staff stated the need to invest in certificate programs at local community colleges and technical schools and create an effective pathway for students at a younger age. The association’s first state lobby day was an overall success and we plan to spread this in the coming years to other states where our members are located. Thank you to Trenton Forging Company, Campbell Press Repair and Finkl Steel – Composite for coming to Michigan Lobby Day to promote the forging industry. FIA has engaged with Cassidy Levy Kent – Canada, a top trade law firm based in Ottawa and one of only three Canadian firms to achieve the prestigious “Tier 1” ranking in Chambers and Partners 2018 survey of leading lawyers in the area of International Trade and WTO matters. The Canadian branch works hand-in-hand with our U.S.-based trade counsel, Cassidy Levy Kent – USA. The association has enlisted the counsel in Canada to conduct a survey to collect information to identify unfair import competition and to better track imports in Statistics Canada data. The aim is to collect concrete responses that illustrate injury to member companies, which will lead to action by the Government of Canada to address unfairly traded imports. Please consider completing the survey if you are a Canadian forging producer. Not only will it help your

company compete on an even playing field, but it will also help the entire North American forging industry since circumvention will be prevented for all. The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) reached out to FIA back in July for a preliminary meeting regarding the investigation to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of steel and aluminum, including aluminum forgings, produced domestically. The USITC shared that it is in the very early stages of data gathering and learning more about varying processes in the manufacturing sector to adequately frame the process. Once the agency has effectively collected sufficient data, it will survey varying facilities, U.S. or foreign-owned, that manufacture steel and aluminum by issuing questionnaires to collect GHG emissions data tied to the production of these goods. FIA shared it is more than willing to aid the agency throughout the investigation. This inquiry began from United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai who sent a letter to the USTIC back in June of 2023 requesting the factfinding mission. The goal of gathering the data is to deepen knowledge and help facilitate discussions between the U.S. and European Union (EU) regarding the Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum as both aim to dissuade trade with countries that produce the same steel and aluminum parts with higher emission rates. FIA is looking forward to keeping channels of communication open with USITC to promote a level playing field for the industry. FIA has been tremendously busy spreading our advocacy efforts to places where the organization has not been active before and will continue to expand throughout North America in future years. The association’s staff could not be more grateful for all the support, and the growth over the past year would not have been possible without our incredible members. FIA is very excited to continue advocating on behalf of the forging industry in 2024! Megha M. Patel

Government Affairs Manager Forging Industry Association Phone: 216-781-6260 Email: megha@forging.org

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FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2023