“I see no reason why we should allow foreign producers — operating under different laws, taxes, subsidies, and philosophies — to systematically kill off ANY American industry.”
So when Obamassiah and Hilliary finish killing coal in the US through EPA regs you believe that we should then protect our steelmakers from all the countries in the world that refuse to kill off coal? Or does importing 100% of the needed coke then become acceptable?
Do you really want the rest of the world to comply with the ever increasing US regulatory behemoth as a precondition to exporting products to our country?
Of course not. The EPA needs to be eliminated and locals limited to clean water and air; not wetlands, CO2, efficiency, CAFE, etc.
The coal industry should continue and even expand for metallurgical purposes even if nat gas makes it too expensive for power generation.
The only way to make our own industries fight against industry killing regulations and taxes is to require they produce their products HERE. They will never care about having a government that fosters industry as long as they can simply go elsewhere to produce but still sell here.