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
Read more from Ethan BernardLatest in Economy
CRU: Will US tariff policy be transactional or transformational?
The Trump 1.0 tariffs appeared to have little positive effect on the US manufacturing, partly because they hurt export competitiveness.
Beige Book finds mixed demand trends, tariff concerns
Manufacturing activity exhibited slight to modest increases across a majority of districts. However, manufacturers expressed concerns over the potential impact of looming trade policy changes between late January and February.
Construction spending drops marginally in January
Construction spending edged down slightly in January, slipping for the first time in four months. The US Census Bureau estimated spending at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,196 billion in January, down 0.2% from December’s downward revised rate. The January figure is 3.3% higher than a year ago. January’s result, despite the slight erosion, […]
ISM: Manufacturing expansion slowed in February
The Manufacturing PMI registered 50.3% in February. That’s 0.6 percentage points lower compared to the 50.9% recorded in January.
Chicago Business Barometer up but still pointing to weak conditions
The Chicago Business Barometer rose to an eight-month high in February. Despite the recovery, the measure continues to indicate deteriorating business conditions, as it has for over a year.