The President and CEO of American aluminium smelter Century Aluminum came out in favor of the Biden Administration’s coming 200 percent additional tariff on imported Russian aluminium earlier this week.
CEO Jesse Gary began by thanking the administration in a press release on the subject.
“Thank you to the Biden Administration for inviting Century to the White House on this important occasion. As we have stated before, Century Aluminum fully supports the Biden administration’s efforts to decarbonize industrial production through innovation.”
Gary continued by noting the importance of a strong domestic aluminium industry.
“To move forward in continuing to support a viable domestic aluminum industry, Century is committed to maintaining critical manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. and to protecting American jobs, and doing so sustainably while also greening the economy.”
“In order to effectively advance these growth and decarbonization efforts, federal investment will be critical,” he continued. “We support the administration’s commitment to these shared goals and have been working closely with our partners in this area.”
“A thriving domestic aluminum market is essential to today’s U.S. national security, economic, and climate objectives. Increased domestic manufacturing of aluminum makes our country safer, more economically independent, and more sustainable, and will strengthen our domestic supply chain and put our country on a steadier path to a green future.”
The Biden Administration added another 200 percent import tariff on Russian aluminium late last month as part of a package of sanctions against Russia. The measures are meant to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago without exacting too great a toll on domestic industries.
The new tariffs, which will come into effect later this month, are in addition to tariffs enacted by the Trump Administration under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The Biden Administration noted that the measure both holds Russia accountable as well as protecting American workers.