Ginny Roscamp, Deputy Press Secretary, Federal Communications, Sierra Club, ginny.roscamp@sierraclub.org, 415-508-8498 (Pacific Time)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Immediately after President Trump announced an additional 25% tariff on steel imports to the U.S., Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous sent a letter to the President 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 the letter: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/2025-02/sierra-club-letter-trump-steel.pdf
“We share your assessment that revitalizing our domestic steel industry is key to a growing manufacturing sector in the United States. However, tariffs, without complementary domestic measures to improve the performance of American iron and steel mills, will imperil this goal,” reads the letter.
The letter highlights that the domestic steel industry plays a valuable role for the U.S. economy and security. However, it has been in decline for decades due to neglect and unfair trade practices. Over the past several decades, tariffs alone were not enough to keep the industry from falling behind foreign competitors, which adopted more advanced manufacturing processes. As the letter points out, tariffs coupled with domestic investments, research and development, and market signals can address decades of neglect. Tariffs alone will only delay the industry’s decline.
The letter calls on the Trump administration to consider the following measures to support the U.S. steel industry:
- Trade policy: Pair the 25% tariff on steel imports with an additional tariff based on the level of dirty air and water made by foreign steelmakers that undercuts U.S. production.
- Encourage buyers: Provide incentives to U.S. buyers, like automakers, to purchase clean U.S. steel, and deploy penalties when buyers don’t prioritize these purchases.
- Support research: Establish a national lab dedicated to metallurgy research that coordinates among steelmakers and steel users.
- Prioritize procurement: Prioritize government purchases of U.S. steel and finished goods, including in infrastructure and defense.
- Public investment: Establish a U.S. fund that promotes American-made, cutting-edge steel and ironmaking solutions globally.
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.