U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and a bipartisan group of colleagues in calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reject three proposed rules that would dramatically undermine America’s steel industry, hurt steel manufacturers and steelworkers, and ship steel jobs overseas. In a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, the senators urge the agency to reject the proposed regulations as currently written in the interest of American national and economic security and instead work to overhaul the proposed regulations in a way that protects American steelworkers.

In addition to Senators Young and Brown, Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) also signed the letter.

“We have serious concerns with these proposed rules because they would dramatically undermine the domestic steel industry and national security while driving production overseas likely resulting in no net reduction in emissions from the steel industry globally,” the senators wrote.

In the letter, the senators write that the United States is the cleanest major steel producer in the world and that the proposed rules would force American steel production to move overseas to countries with lower pollution standards. The senators specifically wrote about three proposed rules related to steel manufacturing and production:

  1. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities (EPA-HQ-EPA-OAR-2002-0083),
  1. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Coke Ovens: Pushing, Quenching, and Battery Stacks, and Coke Oven Batteries. (EPA–HQ–OAR–2002–0085 and EPA– HQ–OAR–2003–0051), and 
  • National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Taconite Iron Ore Processing Amendments (EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0664).

The full letter can be found here.