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Thompson Hine LLP, a full-service business law firm with approximately 400 lawyers in 11 offices, was ranked number 1 in the category “Most innovative North American law firms: New working models” by The Financial Times and was 1 of 7 firms shortlisted for The American Lawyer’s inaugural Legal Services Innovation Award. The firm has been recognized by the National Law Journal as a Legal Technology Trailblazer and featured by Bloomberg for its innovative service delivery models, which drive accuracy and predictability. The firm’s commitment to innovation is embodied in Thompson Hine SmartPaTHTM – a smarter way to work – predictable, efficient and aligned with client goals. For more information, please visit ThompsonHine.com and ThompsonHine.com/SmartPaTH.

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<p>Energy Fuels Inc. and Ur-Energy Inc. (the petitioners) have jointly submitted a <a href="https://www.thompsonhinesmartrade.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/783/2019/12/Energy-Fuels-and-Ur-Energy-USA-2017.01.16-Signed-Petition.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petition to the U.S. Department of Commerce</a> for relief under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 from imports of uranium products from state-owned and state-subsidized enterprises in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. According to the petition, such imports now supply nearly 40 percent of U.S. demand and threaten U.S. national security. Despite uranium&rsquo;s critical role in the United States supporting clean electricity and the national defense, &ldquo;imports of cheap, foreign state-subsidized uranium have swelled in recent years to the point that domestic suppliers currently provide less than 5% of our nation&rsquo;s demand.&rdquo; As recently as 1980, the petitioners argue, &ldquo;U.S. producers supplied nearly 100% of our domestic uranium needs, and in 1989 the DOC initiated a Section 232 investigation at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy (&ldquo;DOE&rdquo;) because of concerns that uranium imports exceeded 37.5% at that time. The problem is far worse now.&rdquo; The petition also notes that China is significantly growing its state-owned nuclear enterprises and intends to penetrate the U.S. market with nuclear fuel that will directly compete with U.S. uranium miners. Under U.S. law, the petitioners argue that the warheads in U.S. nuclear weapons must be manufactured from uranium sourced from U.S. mines; tritium (an essential component of nuclear weapons) must be produced in a U.S. reactor using domestic uranium; and highly-enriched and fabricated uranium fuel for the U.S. Navy must be U.S. in origin. If this import trend continues and the condition of the U.S. uranium mining industry continues to worsen, the petitioners contend that the United States will lose the ability to supply these essential national security requirements with domestic sources. The petition seeks remedies that will set a quota to limit U.S. uranium imports, effectively reserving 25 percent of the U.S. nuclear market for U.S. uranium production. It also seeks implementation of a requirement for U.S. federal utilities and agencies to buy U.S. uranium in accordance with President Trump&rsquo;s Buy American policy.</p>
<p>Once the Department of Commerce initiates the investigation, it will have 270 days to prepare a report for the president. Following receipt of that report, the president will have 90 days to act on any recommendations and take action if necessary to &ldquo;adjust the imports of an article and its derivatives&rdquo; and/or pursue other lawful non-trade related actions necessary to address the threat.</p>

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New Section 232 Petition Seeks Investigation Into Effects of Uranium Imports on U.S. National Security