This week, Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of his colleagues in sending letters to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Chair Amy Karpel in support of the American low-speed personal transportation vehicle (LSPTV) industry.
In the letter to Secretary Lutnick, Congressman Allen, Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) write: "We commend the U.S. Department of Commerce for its hard work in conducting the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on Low Speed Personal Transportation Vehicles from the People’s Republic of China. These investigations are critical to ensuring the unfairly traded Chinese imports do not continue to injure the American LSPTV industry."
The Members continue: "We are very concerned, however, by the actions being taken by Chinese LSPTV producers to circumvent and evade the trade relief needed by the domestic industry. It is clear to us that, since the Department’s preliminary determinations, Chinese LSPTV producers have responded, not by abiding U.S. trade rules, but rather by re-labeling and re-organizing their supply chains in an effort to skirt those very trade disciplines... We ask the Department to take all steps necessary to ensure that Chinese producers do not continue to erode U.S. trade measures, especially given the significant levels of dumping and subsidization that the agency has already found to exist among LSPTV imports from China."
In the letter to Chair Karpel, Congressman Allen and 24 of his colleagues write: "Facing large and increasing volumes of dumped and subsidized imports from China, the American LSPTV industry filed antidumping and countervailing duty cases in June 2024... With the aid of substantial Chinese government subsidies, these imported vehicles are being sold below U.S. market prices, taking sales and revenue from domestic producers and underselling and depressing U.S. prices."
The Members conclude: "In short, it is critical that our trade remedy laws accurately address unfair trade practices so that U.S. workers and businesses can compete on a level playing field. Domestic LSPTV manufacturers represent a quintessential American industry, and trade relief is crucial to ensuring that they do not continue to be injured by unfair Chinese import competition."
To read the full letter to Secretary Lutnick, CLICK HERE.
To read the full letter to Chair Karpel, CLICK HERE.
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. Congressman Allen has been at the forefront of this issue since June 2024 and continues to seek relief for domestic LSPTV producers:
- June 2024: Allen Leads Letter to USTR Urging Ambassador Tai to Expand Definition and Combat the Importation of Chinese-Subsidized Electric Vehicles
- November 2024: Allen Leads Letter Urging Commerce Department to Stand by U.S. Manufacturers
- December 2024: Commerce Department Finds China Unfairly Subsidized Low-Speed Transportation Vehicle Industry
- January 2025: Commerce Department Establishes Antidumping Duties for Chinese LSPTV's
