Could this Canadian Cement Plant Hurt American Operations?

Construction of a major cement factory in Quebec has some U.S. legislators raising concerns. The McInnis Cement plant in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Quebec, is set to go online in 2016, with an estimated capacity of $2.2 million. According to lawmakers, the operation, which has been directly subsidized by the Canadian government, plans to sell directly to U.S. markets, which could hurt local operations and cost jobs.

According to a report in the Glens Falls Post-Star:

U.S. Democratic Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have called on the U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman to investigate the McInnis Cement plant under construction in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Quebec.

Schumer and Gillibrand said government subsidies of the new facility, estimated to cost $1.1 billion, are a violation of World Trade Organization rules because the goal of the plant is to export cement directly to the United States.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has also asked the Obama Administration to step in.