JSW USA Sues Commerce Over Tariffs on Slabs

JSW Steel (USA), Inc., is seeking relief from the Section 232 tariffs on the steel slabs it must import temporarily to supply its mill in Baytown, Texas. The U.S. arm of the India-based steel producer has filed a complaint against the U.S. alleging that the Commerce Department’s denial of JSW’s request for exclusion from the 25 percent tariff was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated the company’s right to due process.

JSW USA is in the process of installing a new electric arc furnace at its Baytown plant. It is also investing millions in upgrades at its mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio. In the meantime, it is reliant on imported slabs from India and Mexico, which it maintains are not available in a sufficient quantity or quality in the United States. As a result, the company contends it has paid tens of millions in tariffs from which it should have been exempted.