Steel Industry Comments on White House Buy Clean Announcement

Photo: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg Visits the Cleveland-Cliffs Toledo Direct Reduction Plant

The steel industry provided comment on the announcement by the White House that the federal government will prioritize the purchase of low-carbon construction materials for federal construction projects.

The announcement came as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan and Deputy National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, visited AISI-member Cleveland-Cliffs Direct Reduction plant, which produces high-quality hot-briquetted iron, in Toledo.

American Iron and Steel Institute

American Iron and Steel Institute President and CEO Kevin Dempsey applauded the announcement by the White House.

“We are pleased that the administration continues to recognize that the American steel industry is leading the way on decarbonization, as reflected in today’s announcement to prioritize the government’s purchase of lower-emissions construction materials for federally-funded projects,” Dempsey said. “Of the major steel-producing countries, the U.S. has the lowest CO₂ emissions per ton of steel produced.”

“Our entire industry continues to make key investments to further decrease carbon emissions and advance our leadership position on sustainability,” said Dempsey. “Today’s announcement recognizes the innovations and advancements being made by American steel producers, and we look forward to working with the government agencies to continue to incentivize the use of clean American-made steel as this initiative is implemented.”

Read AISI’s original press release.

American Institute of Steel Construction

The American Institute of Steel Construction also provided comment on the announcement.

“We applaud the Biden administration’s efforts to lower emissions in the construction sector, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the Federal Buy Clean Task Force,” said American Institute of Steel Construction Director of Government Relations and Sustainability Max Puchtel. “As America already leads the world in producing low-embodied-carbon fabricated structural steel and transparently disclosing environmental impacts–all while responsibly complying with environmental and labor regulations–the structural steel industry is uniquely positioned to continue its leadership role and deliver on the administration’s Buy Clean and Buy America priorities.”

“A clean, green future is critical and it’s already building in steel today. The hundreds of thousands of Americans in the structural steel industry have been working toward carbon neutrality for decades,” said AISC President Charles J. Carter.

Read AISC’s original press release.