Philip K. Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association, testified today before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit’s hearing on the regulatory and administrative agenda of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“As the Federal Highway Administration implements its Buy Clean program, it must promote low emissions steelmaking and adhere to the statutory requirements established by Congress,” Bell told the subcommittee. The Federal Highway Administration’s Buy Clean program, he explained, should use a single standard, based on carbon intensity, to determine whether a steel product is considered clean, regardless of the process used for making it.
Bell noted that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is considering a dual standard for clean steel, which holds steel made using a high-emissions blast furnace to a more lenient standard for clean status despite the significant carbon advantage of steel made in an electric arc furnace. The General Services Administration has adopted a dual standard. “We have serious concerns with the GSA’s implementation of its Buy Clean program and their adoption of a dual emissions standard for steel. We urge the FHWA to reject GSA’s misguided approach.”
The better approach, Bell said, is to use a single standard for clean steel. “A single standard is simple and transparent,” he said. “A single standard is fair to all producers and encourages innovation and investment. A single standard results in the greatest emissions reductions and will further our global advantage on low emissions steel. A single standard is the only way to comply with the statute.”
Watch a video of the hearing here, and read Bell’s written testimony here.
