Environment and Energy

AISI cheers passage of water resources bill in Congress

Written by Ethan Bernard

December 20, 2024

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) lauded the recent passage of a water resources bill in Congress as “essential” for the domestic steel industry.

The final version of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024) was passed this week in the US Senate. Passed by the House of Representatives on Dec. 10, it now goes to the president to be signed into law.

“AISI applauds the passage of the water resources bill by the Senate today to fund critical US Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects — including the construction and maintenance of ports, inland waterways, locks, and dams across the US,” AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey said in a statement on Wednesday.

“These investments are essential to the competitiveness of the American steel industry for transporting raw materials to their plants and finished products to end-users in the market,” he added.

Dempsey noted that in addition to authorizing 21 new water projects, “the bill also updates the project cost-share formula, which will facilitate the timely construction of important inland navigation projects that are critical to the steel industry and our customers.”

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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