AISI members have made substantial gains in reducing their energy usage, as well as their environmental footprint, over the last two decades. The domestic steel industry has reduced its energy intensity by 30% since 1990, while reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35% over the same time period.
The steel industry in the U.S. has the lowest energy consumption and lowest CO2 emissions per ton of production of any steel producing industry in the world. In fact, the American steel sector is recognized as having the steepest decline of total air emissions among nine manufacturing sectors studied in EPA's 2008 Sector Performance Report.
It is essential that Congress and the Adminstration craft policies that both increase the amount of resources available for use by energy-intensive industries while ensuring that climate-related policies do not lessen their global competitiveness.
Industry Position: Congress should craft a new energy policy that promotes development of domestic energy sources and provides incentives for industrial efficiency projects and support for efforts to develop breakthrough technologies. If climate change is a problem, it can only be addressed effectively on a global basis. This must be the guiding principle if we are to actually lower CO2 emissions globally without lessening the competitiveness and growth opportunities of U.S. producers.
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