United States.
The American Hydrofluorocarbon Coalition (HFC) and its members have filed a petition for anti-dumping duty charges against unfair imports of R-134a refrigerant from China that are causing material injury to the U.S. fluorochemical industry.
The petition was filed simultaneously with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The American HFC Coalition alleges dumping margins for R-134a ranging from 150% to over 200%.
The petition was filed in response to large and growing volumes of low-priced imports from China. According to the coalition, China's imports have increased by more than 35% from 2013 to 2015, and will continue to rise steadily. As a result, U.S. manufacturers are losing market share and prices are falling rapidly.
This is the second anti-dumping request filed by the American HFC Coalition. The first petition was filed on June 25, 2015, and seeks relief from Chinese imports of R-410A and other HFC blends. The HFC mixtures contemplated in the first case are the primary refrigerants used in residential air conditioning and supermarket refrigeration. As a result of the first petition, the Commerce Department has recently issued a preliminary affirmative determination. The final determination is expected this summer.
The new petition covers R-134a from China seeks the imposition of countervailing duties to level the playing field, especially in the aftermarket for car air conditioning. The action is expected to take nine to 13 months to complete, with a preliminary determination expected within about six months.
