The American Iron and Steel Institute has a mission to influence public policy and educate and shape public opinion in support of a strong, sustainable US and North American steel industry committed to manufacturing products that meet society’s needs.
In mid April, the organisation held a briefing to address various matters of importance to steel producers in North America.
John P Surma, chairman and CEO of United States Steel Corp, Pittsburgh and also the current chairman of AISI said that while the US steel industry is clearly in recovery mode, it is still facing significant challenges to its international competitiveness, including burdensome tax rates, uncertain energy costs, inadequate investments in infrastructure, increasing regulatory burdens and foreign unfair trade practices.
“These issues are not new, but the urgency for us to address them is very, very immediate,” he stressed.
Other topics addressed were a recent report showing the steel industry is a major factor in the recent rebound of the US manufacturing sector, that shale gas will be a major driver of development, support for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline extension project linking US refineries to the Canadian tar sands and a call for congress to enact a long term bill in support of transport infrastructure projects. The briefing concluded with a call for fair trade, highlighting China as the chief transgressor.
To download a report of the full presentation please visit the web link below.