Oil companies struggle to navigate Trump on steel tariffs

[jpak]

https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Oil-companies-struggle-to-navigate-Trump-on-steel-13072426.php

WASHINGTON - U.S. tariffs on foreign steel are testing oil and gas companies' ability to navigate the Trump administration.

The American Petroleum Institute, the industry's largest lobbying group, said Friday that it was disappointed in the White House's decision to deny an exemption request for tariffs "on imported steel used in certain parts of oil and natural gas industry operations."

"The administration's arbitrary process to determine these exclusions lacks transparency as it's not clear how and why certain exclusion petitions are granted or denied," said API Vice President for Regulatory and Economic Policy Kyle Isakower. "What is clear, though, is that implementation of tariffs on imported steel undermines domestic energy production and the future of our nation's energy infrastructure which is critical to bringing American energy to market."

Last week the Trump administration rejected a request from Borusan Mannesmann Pipe US for an exclusion on the 135,000 tons of Turkish steel it imports to its facility in Baytown each year.

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