It was a good day when the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled June 20 that stiff tariffs will be slapped on Chinese pipe imports for five years.

After almost tearful pleas from American pipe producers and the United Steelworkers, the ITC agreed they were being wrongfully harmed by Chinese pipe producers. Locally-based Wheatland Tube Co., where the USW represents production and maintenance workers, along with five other pipe producers were the beneficiaries of the 5-0 ITC vote.

The ITC agreed that penalties be imposed on China because pipe products were being dumped on American shores. Dumping means a company was selling a product below its production cost. They also said the Chinese government was unfairly subsidizing that industry.

As a result, duties ranging from 99 percent to 701 percent will now be imposed on Chinese circular welded pipes.

Immediately before the vote one of the attorneys representing the American pipe makers said he was confident of a favorable ruling as the ITC is free from any political shenanigans.

Poor guy.

He actually believes there’s true justice inside the Betlway.

It was only after a crushing and unrelenting trade deficit with China, only after the American economy began to sour during the beginning of a presidential election year, only after the Bush administration decided it was time to get tough with the Chinese on trade that a body of our U.S. government finally found evidence that China was engaging in unfair trade.

All of the factors involved in the ITC’s ruling were long known and overlooked by trade regulators. Over a four-year period four American pipe plants, including Wheatland Tube’s Sharon plant, closed with 500 workers losing their jobs.

Two years ago the Bush administration nixed a direct plea from American producers to slap similar penalties on Chinese pipe.

A lack of political will to confront the problem, and the Chinese, resulted in an American industry getting hammered.

Barry Zekelman, chief executive officer and president of John Maneely Co. which owns Wheatland Tube, estimated that the 750,000 tons of Chinese pipe imports entering the U.S. last year could be valued at $1 billion.

As the late Sen. Everett Dirksen from Illinois was supposed to have said: “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.’’

Too bad our government doesn’t realize the value of $1 billion anymore.