Decision on Section 232 Uranium Case Due July 13
The Section 232 uranium investigation is complete, and the president should make his decision by July 13, a Bureau of Industry and Security official told attendees at the annual BIS export controls conference. It was completed April 14, he said.
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The investigation, instigated by two uranium mining companies, began July 18, 2018 (see 1807180029). Most of the uranium demand in the U.S. is for commercial power plants. They bought about 43 million pounds of uranium in 2017, according to the government, with 93 percent of that imported. Canadian exports accounted for 35 percent of those purchases, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked with President Donald Trump recently about the 232 case. Australian exports are 20 percent of the purchases, and Russia provided 18 percent of the imported uranium.
Jason Bolton, an analyst at BIS's Office of Technology Evaluation, said the two domestic mining companies that petitioned for relief from imports are operating at 9 percent to 14 percent capacity, and that three other U.S. mines have shut down. Both petitioners laid off half their workforce in the last two years, he noted.
"The investigation does not begin with a remedy in mind," Bolton said.
The titanium sponge investigation (see 1904100032) must be completed by Nov. 29. "As for the determination, to be determined," Bolton said. He said they are looking at foreign dependency in the commodity, and the fact that it cannot be stockpiled, because it degrades quickly. Titanium sponge is used in a variety of defense applications, such as helicopter blades, tank armor and fighter jet engines.