The United Steelworkers union is pressing the Obama administration to investigate China's trade practices for hindering the development of domestic manufacturing in alternative and clean energy products.

The Pittsburgh-based union filed a trade case with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative Thursday in hopes that the United States eventually initiate meetings with China through a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel. The Obama administration has 45 days to determine whether it will investigate the petition.

In a summary of a 5,800-page petition, the steelworkers said it found China was using export quotas and taxes to restrict the export of rare earth metals such as yttrium and neodymium used in renewable energy product manufacturing. The union said China also provides subsidies for companies to produce components for items such as wind turbines and requires that production technology must be transferred as a condition of getting investments from state-owned partners or financiers.

Union officials believe the policies are helped the country to become a dominant supplier of wind and solar energy products.

"Green jobs are key to our future," said Leo Gerard, USW international president, in a statement. "Right now, China is taking every possible step -- many of them illegal under international trade laws -- to ensure that it will control that sector. America can't afford to cede more of its manufacturing base to China."

Echoing earlier comments on the steel industry, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., said in a statement that he wants to make sure "unfair Chinese trade practices" don't put American workers at a competitive disadvantage. He urged U.S. trade officials to act on the petition and move forward with the case.

"It is widely known that China employs a range of unfair trade practices that conflict with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization and undermine our domestic market," said Visclosky, who is also chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Steel Caucus.

Since 1985, the United Steelworkers has made more appearances in trade case filings that any other U.S. company or organization, according to USW spokesman Gary Hubbard.

In a separate announcement, the Commerce Department said Thursday that the United States reduced its trade deficit in July to $42.8 billion. Exports of U.S. goods and services in July increased 1.8 percent to $153.3 billion from a month earlier. Imports in July fell month-over-month 2.1 percent to $196.1 billion.