Economy

AISI, AISC, University of Massachusetts get ~$6.4M EPA grant

Written by Ethan Bernard

July 16, 2024

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst have received a grant to enhance emissions reporting for steel construction projects.

The ~$6.4 million grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act. The aim is enhancing clean steelmaking by helping document emissions intensity of steel and other construction materials.

AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey lauded the grant as a way to show American steel’s sustainability and promote transparency in steel manufacturing.

“This initiative will create a much-needed database that will immensely improve reporting for numerous stakeholders and help reduce environmental impacts,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

What grant covers

AISI said the grant will enable the team “to develop life-cycle inventory and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) tools that will automatically generate steel product EPDs — making the reporting process more efficient and seamless.”

The association added that the grant will make it possible “to develop an EPD repository, update the steel Product Category Rules for reporting the carbon emissions associated with producing specific steel products, and provide extensive educational outreach to students and design, construction, and steel industry professionals.”

Larger picture

This funding was part of the EPA’s announcement Tuesday on the selection of 38 grant recipients across the country, totaling ~$160 million, to support efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials and products.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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