Environment and Energy

EPA deregulation proposals win praise from steel advocates

June 12, 2025

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA) have thrown their support behind two new proposals from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would roll back power plant emissions regulations, ultimately supporting domestic steel production.

On June 11, the EPA announced plans to repeal all greenhouse gas emissions standards for the power sector under the Clean Air Act. The agency also proposed repealing parts of the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which it says “directly result in coal-fired power plants having to shut down.”

AISI President and CEO Kevin Dempsey said the current EPA rules have been burdensome and expensive for steelmakers.

“The onerous, costly and unproven mandate included in the current power plant rule would adversely impact the innovations that are already being implemented to reduce America’s carbon footprint,” he stated.

Dempsey added, “AISI applauds EPA for announcing this new approach, which is significant to the American steel industry as we depend on an affordable and reliable electricity supply.”

SMA President Phillip K. Bell also welcomed the move. “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,” he said.

Both groups support the EPA’s proposal because consistent and affordable electricity is essential for steelmaking.

“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,” Bell noted.

Dempsey concluded that AISI “favors innovative, market-driven approaches and not heavy-handed federal requirements on the power sector that could negatively affect not only our industry but grid reliability overall.”

The current EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, has stated that former President Joe Biden implemented regulations based on ideology and inconclusive results.

“According to many, the primary purpose of these Biden-Harris administration regulations was to destroy industries that didn’t align with their narrow-minded climate change zealotry,” Zeldin said.