Europe hits US biodiesel with duty

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The European Union has imposed import duty on US biodiesel, on the grounds of protecting European producers from what it called unfair American subsidies and below-cost selling (dumping).   Europe is the worldÔÇÖs largest consumer of crop-based fuels, and the US is its biggest foreign supplier of biodiesel, exporting over a million tons to Europe last year, compared with only 50,000 tons in 2006.   The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) has repeatedly complained over the $1 per gallon federal subsidy paid to US producers, which it says undercuts European suppliers in their home market.   The duties will initially be in place for four months, starting today, and could be confirmed after that for up to five years. The EU fees will affect biodiesel sold by Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc. and several others.   But the US biodiesel industry maintains that US exports are doing no harm to European producers. In a 147-page report issued in September, the US-based National Biodiesel Board called the EBBÔÇÖs injury claims ÔÇÿfatally deficient,ÔÇÖ and said that the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on US biodiesel would be at odds with the EUÔÇÖs stated goal of increasing the use of biofuels in its 27 member nations.   The action comes barely a week after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown addressed both Houses of Congress and warned that the world should not resort to protectionism.   President Barack Obama promised in a speech to Congress on 24 February to ÔÇ£end direct payments to large agribusinesses that donÔÇÖt need them,ÔÇØ but made no specific reference to biofuels producers.   The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (otherwise known as the stimulus package) includes several provisions to help the US biofuels industry.   If anyone thought the kind of international cooperation Brown was calling for was going to be easy, they better think again.     *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *