Today, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary of Commerce, Gina M. Raimondo, urging the Commerce Department to stand by U.S. manufacturers and workers in the low-speed personal transportation vehicles (LSPTV) industry, including vehicles such as golf carts, Personal Transportation Vehicles (PTVs), and Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs), as they face a surge of subsidized imports from China.
Congressman Allen was joined by Representatives Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Joe Wilson (SC-02), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Michael Guest (MS-03), Trent Kelly (MS-01), and Mike Ezell (MS-04), as well as Senators Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
In the letter, the Members write: "The U.S. LSPTV industry filed antidumping and countervailing duty cases in June 2024 against imports of LSTPVs from China. Last year, more than $522 million in LSPTVs were imported from China, which is more than double the 2021 imports. Bolstered by substantial Chinese government subsidies, these imported vehicles are sold at prices below U.S. market prices, taking sales and revenue from U.S. producers and underselling and depressing U.S. prices. The outcome of these cases is absolutely critical to the health of the domestic LSPTV industry... In short, we must ensure that our trade remedy laws accurately address unfair trade practices so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete on a level playing field."
BACKGROUND: The Central Savannah River Area, encompassing Georgia and South Carolina, has long been the epicenter of U.S. golf cart manufacturing. It is home to two large producers that deliver electric vehicle models for personal and recreational transportation – PTVs, LSVs, and golf carts. Today's letter follows a June 2024 letter led by Congressman Allen to Ambassador Katherine Tai with the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
To read the full letter to Secretary Raimondo, CLICK HERE.
