OPINION:
As President Biden and his administration continue to roll out their agenda ahead of the 2024 election, he will argue that his administration has done much good work addressing climate issues. But the evidence is clear: The Biden administration’s government-run green policies perpetuate climate challenges, whereas the Trump administration’s policies actually addressed them, leaving our air and water cleaner during former President Donald Trump’s term. A focus on the market helped lead the way.
Mr. Trump drove a dedicated effort to revitalize American manufacturing, focusing on products stamped “Made in America.” When I was a senior member of his administration, we aggressively fought for his strategy to bolster domestic industries, create jobs and strengthen the nation’s economic backbone. Mr. Trump was particularly cognizant of the importance of a strong domestic steel industry, and that the U.S. should lead in producing steel, including low-emissions steel made in the U.S.
Many policies adopted by the Trump administration supported the significant investments in decarbonization made by domestic steel producers. They contributed to our steel industry being one of the lowest emitters in the world.
By contrast, the Biden administration’s government-run, top-down approach in the same arena is a classic case of government command and control wandering off course, adopting contradictory policies that undermine its professed commitment to environmental stewardship. These policies also look to violate the rule of law.
Two years ago, Congress created a new $2 billion federal Buy Clean Initiative in the Inflation Reduction Act. The program requires the federal government to purchase steel with “substantially lower” emissions. Yet instead of adopting a single emissions standard required by the statute, the Biden administration has created two emissions standards: One applies to high-emitting integrated producers, and the other is for low-emitting producers that use electric arc furnaces.
Each ton of steel produced in an electric arc furnace emits about 70% less greenhouse gas emissions than steel made in an integrated steel mill. Yet the Buy Clean program’s dual emissions standards now allow integrated steel products to be classified as clean along with identical steel products made in electric arc furnaces with far lower emissions levels.
The Trump administration took a far better approach. With his national security tariffs and focus on enhancing our domestic manufacturing capacity, Mr. Trump saw more than $15 billion in new investment in recycling-based electric arc furnace steel capacity during his term.
By not applying the same emissions rules to everyone, the Biden administration is picking winners and losers in the market, which prevents tried-and-true market forces from going to work. Rather than allowing the most innovative and sustainable steel products to succeed based on merit, the Biden administration perpetuates the highest-emitting segment of the American steel industry even though electric arc furnace producers keep emissions low and already constitute more than 70% of domestic steel production.
The Biden administration’s failure to promote a “clean” steel policy that can actually deliver what producers can provide and the marketplace demands reveals a broader pattern of misguided Biden decision-making. It fails to embrace a truly competitive marketplace where innovation flourishes and all industry players have an equal opportunity to succeed.
The Biden administration’s adoption of a dual standard in its Buy Clean program fails in the face of evidence of a much better approach by Mr. Trump. A cleaner environment comes from market forces, not government command and control. It’s time for the administration to wake up to the realities of the marketplace and start prioritizing policies to make American steel great again and make our American environment the best it’s ever been.
• Eric Ueland served as director of legislative affairs and deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council for President Donald Trump. He is currently a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
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