American Mining Congress supports new free-trade deal

The American Mining Congress (AMC) supports negotiation of a North American free-trade agreement involving Canada, the U.S. and Mexico but wants negotiators to “proceed carefully and with a clear sense of purpose” when addressing issues related to market access, investment and subsidy practices.

“A failure to resolve the U.S. mining industry’s concerns in these three areas in a manner that advances the interests of our membership could result in AMC opposition to a final agreement,” Dorothy Gusler, a representative for Amax Inc., recently told the trade policy staff committee of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington, D.C. Gusler spoke for the AMC, a mining industry association.

A free-trade agreement, to receive support from the U.S. mining, processing and related mining equipment manufacturing industries, must address those issues that affect the competitiveness of AMC member companies, she said. “It must eliminate tariffs and non-tariff measures, phase out the wide disparity in the level of tariffs, provide national treatment for U.S. investors in Mexico’s mining and processing industry and abolish burdensome requirements for foreign investors,” Gusler said.

“Further, it must prohibit, for all time, all export and domestic subsidies that distort trade in metals and minerals.”

Caution was urged against substantive changes to the already negotiated U.S.-Canada free-trade agreement that would disadvantage the U.S. mining industry.

Gusler also said the pact should require the mutual elimination of U.S. and Mexican tariffs on all mined commodities and mining-related machinery and equipment.