Outdoor Industry Association urged its members to contact the Obama Administration and their Congressional delegations in coming days to express their opposition to the Administration's plans to end duty relief on imported outdoor footwear and other products that will raise landed costs on affected products by nearly 39 percent starting Jan. 1, 2013.


In a “Trade Alert” e-mail send Monday, OIA Executive Director Frank Hugelmeyer said the administration has reaffirmed to OIA its intention to allow outdoor footwear duties to rise in order to force Vietnam to make concessions to the U.S. in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.


“Regardless of the reason, it is unacceptable that outdoor specialty manufacturers and retailers face immediate, unplanned and unexpected import costs on products that have been sold in retail stores for 6 years,” Hugelmeyer wrote.
Impacted outdoor products include waterproof hiking boots, wading boots and trail running footwear.


“We need your help again to voice our opposition to the administration,” said Hugelmeyer. “I am asking the outdoor industry community to come together to fight against this very dangerous precedent.”


OIA asks supporters to go to outdoorindustry.org/industryatrisk by end of day Nov. 28 and:



  1. Review the updated instructions.
  2. Write an email to the footwear negotiators at the U.S. Trade Representative's office and U.S. Department of Commerce.
  3. Describe the disastrous consequences their actions will have for the outdoor industry.
  4. Share this email with everyone in your company and request that they also send an email.


On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Nov. 28-30, OIA asks supporters to use the same information at outdoorindustry.org/industryatrisk to write Congressional leaders on the trade committee and remind them that bowing to the administration's opposition and excluding the outdoor industry's bills will have devastating consequences for your business and the outdoor retail industry. Please ask everyone in your company to also send an email.



“Many of these duty relief bills ensure a competitive retail price for the outdoor specialty industry's best selling and most innovative new footwear products,” reads OIA’s recent Trade Alert. “If the Obama administration's position is allowed to prevail, prices on many footwear styles would go up by as much as 38% on January 1, 2013 and remain high for the next three years.”

Those with questions not addressed at the special website are asked to contact Alex Boian, OIA's director of trade policy at aboian@outdoorindustry.org or 303.327.3509.