Steel groups cheer 'Prove It' Act introduced in House of Representatives

“We should embrace the fact that American industries produce cleaner and with better standards than anywhere else in the world,” Rep. Curtis said in a statement on Monday.

‘Prove It’ Act

The bill would require “the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study and submit a report on the greenhouse-gas emissions intensity of certain products produced in the United States and in certain foreign countries, and for other purposes,” the proposed legislation says.

Steel and steel products are included among the goods to be compared between the US and other nations.

The Department of Energy, in coordination with other federal agencies, would be required to publish the study within two years.

“The legislation explicitly states that it does not provide any authority to impose new taxes or establish new mandatory reporting requirements on domestic production,” the statement from Rep. Curtis’ office noted.

Other products that the legislation would require to have their GHGs tracked include aluminum, articles of aluminum, articles of cement, articles of plastic, biofuels, cement, crude oil, fertilizer, glass, hydrogen, lithium-ion batteries, natural gas, petrochemicals, plastics, pulp and paper, refined strategic and critical minerals, refined petroleum products, solar cells and panels, uranium, and wind turbines.

A similar Senate version of the legislation passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in January.

AISI backing

“Trade-distorting policies in many countries continue to contribute to massive global overcapacity in steel,” Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of AISI, said in a statement on Monday.

He noted that countries like China, India, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian nations produce more carbon emissions-intensive steel than the US.

“We need policies to demonstrate this current imbalance in emissions and hold the high-emitting producers from overseas accountable for their much higher carbon emissions,” Dempsey said.

He added that the “Prove It” Act would do this “by creating an official source to verify the superior carbon efficiency of vital American industries, like steel, and give policymakers the data needed to make the case for action.”

SMA support

Likewise, Philip K. Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), praised the action.

“SMA supports the bipartisan ‘Prove It’ Act because we know that it will demonstrate conclusively that American steel has the lowest carbon emissions in the world,” he told SMU in a statement on Monday.  

Bell said SMA looks forward to working with Congress “to make sure we get the best bill possible.”