NBB Fair Trade Coalition slams Commerce’s review decision on Argentine biodiesel imports

In Washington, the National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) Fair Trade Coalition has criticized the U.S. Department of Commerce’s preliminary decision in a “changed circumstances” review of countervailing duties on biodiesel imports from Argentina. Commerce preliminarily found that Argentina’s recent changes to its export tax regime eliminated certain government subsidies provided to Argentina’s biodiesel producers. If these results are made final, Commerce would reduce the existing countervailing duty rates on Argentine biodiesel from their current average of 72% to 10%.

In a companion review of the antidumping duty order, Commerce did not propose to change the antidumping duty rates that are currently in effect, which average 75%. The reduced countervailing duty rates would be applied in addition to the existing antidumping rates, resulting in a total average rate of 85%.