NBB says biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia is hurting the U.S. market for the fuel.
Photo courtesy the United Soybean Board.The petition was filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission on behalf of the National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition, which is made up of the NBB and U.S. biodiesel producers.
“The National Biodiesel Board and U.S. biodiesel industry is committed to fair trade, and we support the right of producers and workers to compete on a level playing field,” said Donnell Rehagen, chief executive officer of the NBB. “This is a simple case where companies in Argentina and Indonesia are getting advantages that cheat U.S. trade laws and are counter to fair competition. NBB is involved because U.S. biodiesel production, which currently supports more than 50,000 American jobs, is being put at risk by unfair market practices.”
NBB said biodiesel imports from Argentina and Indonesia increased 464% from 2014 to 2016.
“The resulting imbalance caused by unfair trade practices is suffocating U.S. biodiesel producers,” Rehagen said. “Our goal is to create a level playing field to give markets, consumers and retailers access to the benefits of true and fair competition.”
NBB claims producers from Argentina and Indonesia are dumping biodiesel in the United States by selling at prices substantially below costs of production. The petition alleges dumping margins of 23.3% for Argentina and 34% for Indonesia.
The two nations have been accused of violating international trade laws before. In 2013, the E.U. imposed duties on both and last year, Peru imposed antidumping and countervailing duties on Argentine biodiesel.
