21.   Production at American steel companies is booming, with the mills cranking out tonnages not seen in decades.

22.   Some studies show that American steel mills have lower costs than those in Germany and Japan.

23.   That makes American steel more expensive and imports cheaper.

24.   That view was reinforced by recent price cuts by the large American steel producer, Nucor Corp.

25.   That view was reinforced by a March price cut by the large American steel producer, Nucor Corp.

26.   The American steel industry is booming, after decades of collapsing markets, bankruptcies and mill closings.

27.   The American steel industry is not one of them.

28.   The lower costs are a result of improvements in productivity in the American steel industry.

29.   The tariffs will last three years, he said, to give American steel producers time to consolidate operations and stem layoffs.

30.   This comes at a time when the leading American steel companies are proposing a radical restructuring and federal bailout of the industry.