Speaking during the 32nd annual Steel Success Strategies conference, Campo said that the U.S. could achieve that level of investment over a decade with a 7-cents-per-gallon increase in the national gas tax, along with a two-to-one match in the form of private investment and public private partnerships. 

“We shouldn’t think (US$1 trillion) is so far out of reach,” he said.  

Of course, the trick to that, is gaining support for increasing the gas tax, which has remained at around 18 cents per gallon since 1993, or establishing some other mechanism to pay for the investment, he said. 

Campo said that for years he’s heard of the potential steel demand that could come with infrastructure investment, as well as the bipartisan support that exists for such an effort. 

“But as soon as you get to the point to talk about how to fund it, the conversation breaks down rapidly. So unless we have some way to pay for it, there’s not point much in talking about how wonderful it will be,” he said.