“As the market for clean manufacturing grows, the United States, trading partners, manufacturers, and consumers need a fair, coherent system for measuring the GHG intensity of energy-intensive industrial products. An accurate, coordinated GHG intensity measurement approach will bolster the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate goals by helping to track and propel progress in cutting industrial emissions while supporting the competitiveness of clean manufacturing,” the department said. 

U.S. national climate adviser Ali Zaidi said the effort represents progress toward building the data infrastructure needed to accelerate a clean manufacturing strategy and will enable the country to spur reductions in industrial emissions. 

Both the Steel Manufacturers Association and the American Iron & Steel Institute (AISI) applauded the project, calling it a necessary next step. 

“Our members make the lowest emissions steel in the world," said SMA president Philip K. Bell. "We look forward to working with the administration to develop tools that demonstrate our dramatic emissions advantage and then use those tools to support American workers and our domestic steel industry as well as encourage other countries to decarbonize their steel industry like we have done in the U.S."

AISI president and chief executive officer Kevin Dempsey said American steel producers are investing significantly to further reduce GHG emissions. But the investments will be put at risk if countries that produce steel with higher GHG emissions are allowed to undercut cleaner American steel, he said. 

“We welcome DOE’s analysis, which will be critical to demonstrating this current imbalance in emissions intensity and to developing policies that hold foreign producers accountable for their higher emissions. AISI looks forward to continuing to work with the administration to ensure and enhance the competitiveness of the American steel industry and the manufacturing sector as a whole.”