New Mexico Congressional Delegation News:WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Steve Pearce and Michelle Lujan Grishamurged Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross not to approve additional tariffs on newsprint, which could devastate local papers across New Mexico.
In January, the Commerce Department imposed import duties on Canadian groundwood paper, a kind of newsprint used by newspapers across the country, and are now considering additional tariffs. According to the lawmakers and thousands of newspapers nationwide — including eight in New Mexico — the tariffs are dramatically increasing paper prices and additional cost increases would be unsustainable for many papers, especially small, local newspapers, and force some to shut down amid other ongoing financial pressures in the newspaper industry.
“The newspaper industry is facing duties on Canadian newsprint and changes to the cost of shipping, which could be catastrophic for publishers in the southwest. These changes will result in nationwide increases in newsprint prices,” the lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to use your discretion to revisit the domestic industry’s support of this petition and consider the adverse impact to domestic manufacturers and publishers before proceeding with these investigations.”
Full text of the letter is available here.
