US focuses on steel and aluminum for clean industry

The US will take steps to support domestic production and purchases of low-carbon steel and aluminum as part of a series of new initiatives to strengthen US leadership in cleaner production, the White House said Feb. 15. .

"The Biden-Harris administration is announcing new actions across all agencies to support American leadership in cleaner manufacturing, including the low-carbon production of steel and aluminum we need for electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels," the White House said in a statement. statement.

According to the statement, the US will use trade policy as a method to reduce carbon emissions from the steel and aluminum industries. This approach was first introduced in 2021 as part of a metals trade agreement with the EU.

“Together, the US and the EU are working to limit access to their dirty steel markets and limit access to countries that dump steel in both markets, contributing to an oversupply around the world,” the White House said. "The arrangement will be open to any interested country that wishes to join and meets the criteria for restoring market orientation and reducing trade in high emission steel and aluminum products."

The US and EU introduced a joint initiative to tackle emissions from the steel sector when the US agreed to replace its steel and aluminum tariffs on EU imports with a quota scheme. Governments have pledged to jointly build a framework by 2024 to promote cleaner steel and aluminum production and address global overcapacity in both sectors.

“Therefore, this will stimulate investment in cleaner steel and aluminum production in the US, Europe, and globally, keeping the US steel and aluminum industry competitive for decades to come,” the White House said in a statement.

The initiatives are mainly aimed at addressing the problem of excess carbon-intensive capacity in China.