The National Biodiesel Board on Dec. 5 praised an International Trade Commission 4-0 vote recognizing that the biodiesel industry has suffered because of subsidized imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia.

“This unanimous vote is important progress to addressing the harm by this unfair trade on biodiesel,” said NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen.

“U.S. energy policy sought to create a level playing field for domestic and imported biodiesel, but foreign government subsidies have made it nearly impossible for U.S. producers to compete,” Rehagen said. “We are gratified that countervailing duty orders will contribute to leveling the playing field such that the domestic industry has the opportunity to produce at the levels it knows it can.”

“This affirmative vote on injury, coupled with last month’s final countervailing duties determination by the Commerce Department, paves the way for final countervailing duty orders by the end of December,” the NBB said in a news release.

If the Commerce Department makes an affirmative final determination on dumping, then the ITC will still need to vote early next year on the question of dumping, NBB added.

The NBB noted the NBB Fair Trade Coalition had filed a petition with the Commerce Department and the ITC in March, charging that a flood of subsidized and dumped imports from Argentina and Indonesia has resulted in market share losses and depressed prices for domestic producers.