Earlier this week the Aluminum Association released several policy documents aimed at strengthening the domestic aluminium industry, including a variety of recommendations for the incoming Congress and the newly-inaugurated administration of Joe Biden.
The document, entitled The Presidential Policy Brief: Recommendations for a Strong U.S. Aluminum Industry, identified five key areas for the Biden Administration to focus upon: energy, environment, infrastructure, recycling, and trade.
“We congratulate President Biden and look forward to working with him and his team in the coming months and years,” said the Aluminum Association’s president and CEO Tom Dobbins in a statement.
“During this challenging time for our nation, it is critically important that we all work together toward renewal and recovery. A strong and growing domestic aluminum industry can play a role in the American comeback story.”
Among the several recommendations put forward by the Aluminum Association was a call on Congress to increase research and investment on aluminium, which would have a side benefit of reducing greenhouse gases. Also recommended was an increased investment in infrastructure using sustainable materials like aluminium, increasing the nation’s emphasis on aluminium recycling, and challenging imbalanced trade with countries known for subsidizing their aluminium industry, including the People’s Republic of China.
“Among the many lessons of the past year is just how essential American manufacturing is to a strong and healthy country,” Dobbins opined.
“We are ready to roll up our sleeves and do our part as aluminum producers, recyclers and fabricators. We look forward to working with policymakers to grow good-paying manufacturing jobs while building a more sustainable world.”
The Aluminum Association noted that the American aluminium industry supports over 660 thousand jobs in the United States and contributed over US$172 billion in total economic output. However, models show that the coronavirus pandemic is likely to reduce aluminium’s jobs and output by about 11 percent.