WASHINGTON — SMA President Philip K. Bell issued the following statement today:

“We support the Trump administration’s repeal of the Biden-era power plant carbon dioxide rule. Doing away with this misguided rule will guarantee more affordable, more plentiful electricity for American families and domestic manufacturing.

“Nearly three-quarters of the steel made in America each year is produced in modern, efficient electric arc furnaces. Those electric furnaces require a robust, reliable power grid.

“Last year, the Biden administration rushed to finalize an emissions standard for power plants that threatened reliability of the grid and would have led to the removal of significant power generation from the national energy mix.

“At a time when the Trump administration is working to turn America into a manufacturing powerhouse, we need more kilowatts on the grid, not fewer.

“Over the last seven years, our members have invested over $20 billion to build and upgrade steelmaking capacity. The investments require additional power from an already strained grid. EPA’s bold move today will help ensure grid reliability and power manufacturing’s growth.

“We applaud the EPA and look forward to working with them further to ensure that regulations continue to be protection of health and our economy.”

About the SMA

SMA is the largest steel industry trade association in the United States and is the primary trade association representing North American EAF steel producers. EAF steelmakers account for almost 70 percent of domestic steelmaking capacity using an innovative, 21st century production process that is less energy-intensive and has lower carbon emissions than traditional steelmaking. For more information check out our website at www.steelnet.org or our LinkedIn page.