Ginny Roscamp, Deputy Press Secretary, Federal Communications, Sierra Club, ginny.roscamp@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Donald Trump’s additional 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. and 50% tariffs for Canadian steel and aluminum imports are slated to go into effect on Wednesday, March 12. Trump’s last-minute increase to the Canadian tariffs, announced today, March 11, is widely seen as an escalation of a trade war in an attempt to threaten the country’s sovereignty.
(Note: By late Tuesday, March 11, Trump appears to have backed down from his 50% tariff threat to Canada, and the original 25% tariff rate will likely go into effect on March 12.)
Without additional domestic investments to support these sectors in innovating their manufacturing processes, these tariffs threaten the future of America’s primary steel mills in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio. The steel and aluminum tariffs have the potential to:
- Contribute to pollution increases in the short-term as existing dirty mills increase output,
- Contribute to higher consumer prices in the medium-term as goods become more expensive, and
- Contribute to long-term job losses as steel consumers, like automakers, reduce their production levels due to restricted supplies and higher operating costs.
In response to this news, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous, as well as Chapter Directors in Pennsylvania and Michigan, issued the following statements:
“Donald Trump continues to force a trade strategy that will not grow American manufacturing. Rather than lying about what tariffs will do, Trump should emphasize adopting cleaner technologies for our steel mills, allowing workers to unionize to advocate for better pay and safety, and establishing clear rules that ensure our trade partners do not violate labor and environmental standards. This is the hard work that the administration believes will magically happen on its own. And if Trump continues to shy away from his duties, steelworkers and local communities will pay the price,” said Ben Jealous, Executive Director of the Sierra Club.
“Sierra Club fully supports reinvestments in our domestic manufacturing sector and livable wages for working people. However, using tariffs as a blunt instrument, without additional investments in cleaner manufacturing technologies, will simply lead to more pollution in our communities. This includes Metro Detroit, where pollution from coke and steelmaking contributes more than $1 billion annually in health costs. We urge the Trump administration and the state of Michigan to support local manufacturers in innovations that will increase jobs and protect public health,” said Elayne Coleman, Director of the Sierra Club's Michigan Chapter.
“Strategic tariffs can help ensure manufacturers worldwide respect the rights of workers, communities, and the environment. Many manufacturers go abroad to exploit the lack of rules on labor rights and environmental protections, allowing them to make products cheaper than in the U.S. This is a problem, but the Trump administration has not made strong standards a precondition for a trading relationship with the U.S. Without these standards, and without meaningful investments in our own manufacturing, the Trump tariffs will only raise prices for families while our communities continue to breathe dirty air,” said Tom Schuster, Director of the Sierra Club's Pennsylvania Chapter.
BACKGROUND
Integrated steel mills in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Ohio, which produce primary (new) steel critical to the automotive and offshore wind industries, have been struggling for decades. These mills are losing market share not only to global competitors, but also to domestic mills that recycle scrap metal. Environmental and community advocates have long been calling for the modernization of the steel industry, and especially these integrated mills, through federal and state support to encourage the adoption of 21st century technologies that don’t rely on coal-based inputs, including solutions like green hydrogen-based reduction of iron.
The steel and aluminum tariffs come one week after Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico (except Canadian energy products, which face a 10% tariff). On March 6, just two days after those tariffs went into effect, Trump adjusted the tariffs to temporarily exclude goods that comply with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Additional tariffs will go into effect on April 2, when reciprocal tariffs against countries with import taxes on US goods are slated to begin.
In February, the Sierra Club sent a letter to Donald Trump calling for the steel tariff to be coupled with an innovation agenda for the U.S. steel industry that includes domestic investments, research and development, tariffs on foreign pollution, and markets for clean American steel.
Read more from the Sierra Club's Industrial Transformation campaign: Trump’s Tariffs Will Harm Working Families Without Innovative Strategies To Revive American Manufacturing
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.