On Wednesday, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) announced he was joining two of his Alabama congressional colleagues and calling for the end of the Trump administration’s tariff on newsprint.
In a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Alabama’s junior U.S. Senator cited the impact the tariff will have on those newspapers’ operations and warned there could be consequences.
“Local newspapers are an essential component of the communities they serve, both as the primary distributor of regional news and advertisements for small business,” Jones said in a statement. “For an industry that is already struggling, a 22-percent import increase groundwood paper from Canada has the potential to close down small-town papers across the country. I urge Secretary Ross to evaluate these tariffs soon before they force our small-town Alabama media outlets to cut jobs, local media coverage, or both.”
According to Scottsboro’s Jackson County Sentinel editor Brandon Cox, newsprint, which is sold in increments of tons, will increase from $600 per ton to nearly $800 per ton, and that could cost his newspaper’s business $100,000 annually.
Full letter as follows:
The Honorable Wilbur Ross
Secretary
United States Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20230
Dear Secretary Ross:
I am writing in response to the Commerce Department’s investigation into imports of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada. I urge you to take into account the challenges faced by domestic newsprint customers, including those in my home state of Alabama, as you continue your investigation.
Combatting unfair trade practices and ensuring a level playing field for American businesses are goals that I share with President Trump and the Administration. I am concerned though in the case of tariffs on uncoated groundwood paper that the harm for American consumers will far outweigh the good.
Demand for newsprint in the United States has declined steeply in recent years and newsprint production has fallen as a result. Domestic newsprint production cannot meet the demands of American publishers. Small publishers, like weekly papers that serve rural areas, are particularly vulnerable to changes in newsprint price or supply. These papers can’t afford to pay higher prices for newsprint and many will be forced to close their doors and lay off employees if the current temporary tariffs and countervailing duties continue to be imposed.
These papers are an important part of the communities they serve. They report on local events that are not always covered in larger papers, are an affordable way for local businesses to advertise to customers, and in general create a sense of community for their readers.
This is why a cross section of domestic newsprint manufacturers and consumers, as well as the American Forest and Paper Association, National Newspaper Association, and News Media Alliance oppose the additional penalties that are currently being imposed.
I urge you to take the plight of Alabama’s newspapers and those across the country into account as the Department of Commerce concludes its investigation.
Thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely,
Doug Jones
United States Senator
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
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