According to information from Ohio senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, Federal regulators will maintain fines against companies importing Chinese steel that undercuts the prices of American steelmakers.

The lawmakers announced the US Department of Commerce ruled it would maintain antidumping duties and countervailing duties on Chinese steel pipe imports.

According to Mr Brown and Mr Portman, the move protects steelmakers, including US Steel which has the Lorain Tubular Operations and Vallourec Star. The senators previously urged the Department of Commerce to rule in favor of domestic steel manufacturers on a petition regarding product coverage for duties ordered on Oil Country Tubular Goods or OCTG from China.

Mr Brown called the ruling excellent news for companies that have facilities in Ohio. This decision makes it clear that countries like China can’t use loopholes to circumvent international law and evade antidumping and countervailing duties. Our steelmakers can compete with anyone in the world, and now we’ve taken a step towards leveling the playing field and protecting domestic jobs.

Mr Portman said that “This ruling is an important step forward in ensuring that American manufactured goods can compete with their global competitors on a level playing field. This is good news to the thousands of American workers who were threatened from the risk of watered down protections, which would have allowed cheap Chinese products to flood our domestic markets.”