While AK Steel, often remembered by long-time area residents as Armco, has been a part of the Butler community since the early 1900s, what the community may not be aware of is that AK Steel’s Butler Works is now the only producer of high-efficient electrical steels in the United States.

The only other recent North America-based producer of electrical steel, Allegheny Technologies Inc., permanently shut down its electrical steel operations last year due to unfavorable market conditions caused by unfairly traded imports.

Electrical steel is critical to our nation’s electric grid, as it is an essential material in power and distribution transformers that move electricity through the grid and into our homes and businesses.

Unfortunately, the domestic electrical steel market is under attack by unfairly traded foreign steel imports.

Foreign electrical steel imports are on pace to double this year versus 2016.

Imports from Japan, Korea and China are currently up a staggering 155 percent to 195 percent compared to last year.

AK Steel commends the Trump administration in its efforts to combat this unfair trade through its Section 232 investigation on steel imports.

We cannot allow our country to be reliant on foreign countries to supply electrical steel, which is critical to our national security.

We greatly appreciate the support we have received from our Congressional delegation, including Sen. Bob Casey, who we were honored to host for a tour of our facility last week.

As the senator noted, the country’s increasing reliance on foreign steel imports is a real threat.

We agree and encourage all our elected officials, along with Butler area residents, to support our call for swift action on a broad based import remedy by the administration as a result of the 232 investigation on steel imports.

Aaron Steinheiser is the plant manager of AK Steel’s Butler Works.