According to a Thursday blog by American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) President and CEO, Thomas J. Gibson, "Unilateral EPA regulation of GHGs from stationary sources under the Clean Air Act will place a very costly burden on [the US] domestic steel industry, and will ultimately be environmentally ineffective. Without addressing international competitiveness challenges, the EPA regulation places US manufacturers at a significant disadvantage, costing American jobs, and will likely lead to actually increasing greenhouse gas emissions abroad."
The AISI continues to urge Congress to support the Stationary Source Regulations Delay Act (S.3072) and its identical counterpart in the House, H.R. 4753, to prevent this from occurring.
"We need a legislative approach that will reduce GHG emissions and support our manufacturing base, not weaken it," wrote Gibson. "The American steel industry is the most energy efficient and least greenhouse gas intensive steel making industry in the world. We have reduced our energy intensity per ton by 30 percent and reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent since 1990. Nonetheless, we must acknowledge that climate change is a global problem that can only be effectively addressed through a global solution. Nothing in the EPA regulatory scheme will prevent the leakage of jobs and GHG emissions to unregulated countries like China.
"Our steel industry continues to encourage all Members of the House and Senate to focus on the need for Congressional action to prevent EPA regulation of stationary sources of GHGs. All EPA's unilateral regulations will do is place the domestic steel industry at a competitive disadvantage overseas, while doing little to actually help the environment."