US soda ash action

摘要

The challenges of rising production and transportation costs combined with foreign government support for local producers have reached a point where the viability of the US soda ash industry is being severely strained. Given flat domestic demand, export growth is critical to maintaining US production capacity and employment and restarting idle facilities such as those in Wyoming's Green River region. The US industry estimates that a reduction in federal soda ash royalties to a 2 percent rate would result in an estimated 5-10 percent increase in US soda ash exports, or about 25-50m dollars. based on 2003 levels. Combined with other industry restructuring initiatives, a royalty reduction will help see the US industry through a difficult period and position it for sustained and long-term export growth.