American Steel: Cleanest & Most Energy Efficient

The American steel industry is among the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the leading steel industries in the world.

Of steel-producing countries, steel made in the U.S has the lowest CO₂ emissions per ton. Not only are American steelmakers the cleanest and the most energy-efficient, but we are global leaders in the adoption of Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), with over 70% of US steel produced using this method in 2020.Additionally, steel producers in the U.S. are undertaking significant efforts to further reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption. These steps include increasing use of natural gas in place of coal in iron production, both in blast furnaces and through direct reduced iron (DRI) and hot briquetted iron (HBI) production, as well as increased use of renewable energy to power American steel mills. Steel is an integral component in wind towers, solar panels, electric vehicles, energy-efficient buildings, and critical infrastructure like the electric grid. Making these more sustainable products with dirty, CO₂-intensive foreign steel would offset the environmental benefit these products are built to have.

An additional benefit to Section 232 measures has been to shift steel production toward cleaner sources here in America. The steel industries in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, and other countries all have higher CO2 emissions than the U.S. steel industry, which is one of the cleanest and most energy-efficient industries in the entire world. American steel is well-prepared to help the U.S. and the world meet its environmental goals in the coming years. Allowing imports to enter the U.S. market tariff free incentivizes unnecessary carbon “leakage,” especially when lower-emission domestic products are available from domestic producers.