AISI pleased with ‘Made in America’ clauses

The Washington-based American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has expressed its support of “Made in America” stipulations found in a drinking water infrastructure bill that has passed the Senate and in other infrastructure-related actions proposed by the Joe Biden administration and Congress.

The United States Senate, by a vote of 89-2, has passed the $36 billion Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021. Says AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey of that proposed bill, “Importantly, the bill would ensure that all iron and steel products procured for federally funded water infrastructure projects are made in America. The American steel industry is the cleanest and most energy-efficient of the leading steel industries in the world and manufactures innovative products that are critical to modernizing U.S. water infrastructure.”

Also in late April, Dempsey and AISI offered support for comments made by Biden in a speech to a joint session of Congress regarding additional infrastructure-related proposals. “We appreciate President Biden’s commitment in his speech last night to improving our highways, roads and bridges and ensuring taxpayer-funded projects use products made in America —especially the use of American steel, which is among the cleanest steel in the world,” states Dempsey.

He continues, “Structural steel made in America, for example, typically contains 90 percent or more recycled content. Our industry provides good-paying jobs, and our workers are critical to the development of the sustainable infrastructure and renewable energy solutions that the president has supported.”

Dempsey also has sounded a note of confidence about the role of steel in the rapidly developing electric vehicle (EV) market. Says Dempsey, “As EVs continue to be part of many automakers’ future sustainability plans, steel remains the preferred material for battery pack protection due to its inherent strength. We look forward to continuing to work with the administration to advance these issues and ensure American steel remains the backbone of our economy and essential to promoting sustainable products.”