AISI: Navigating recent EPA rulemakings impacting steel

With Earth Day almost a month away, the world’s attention often turns to the manufacturing sector with calls for greener production processes. The American steel industry leads the world in low-emissions production. Our industry has the lowest CO2 emissions per ton of steel produced of any of the major steel-producing countries and accounts for just 1-2% of US greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Globally, the steel industry emits around 8% of total world GHG emissions. Steel is also the most recycled material on the planet. And steel is the only material that is essential to all clean energy technologies. The American steel industry doesn’t just talk about environmental stewardship, we practice what we preach.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently promulgated several regulations that will have an impact on the American steel industry—particularly recent rules addressing air emissions. According to a National Association of Manufacturers survey last year, more than 63% of manufacturers report spending more than 2,000 hours per year complying with federal regulations. As AISI often receives questions from industry stakeholders on these issues, the following will help readers navigate the complex environmental regulatory landscape on some of these recent rules.