Bipartisan Infrastructure Package a Win for American Manufacturing, Aluminum
Electric Grid Modernization, Clean Energy Transition, Transportation Investment Vital; More Needed on Recycling
In a letter to Congress today, Aluminum Association president & CEO Tom Dobbins reiterated the industry’s support for yesterday’s historic bipartisan infrastructure framework.
“The U.S. aluminum industry and its leaders know that this once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment will make our nation more resilient, our climate cleaner, and our economy more competitive,” Dobbins said in the letter. “As one of only eight critical mineral commodities recognized by the federal government as essential to all sectors of the U.S. economy, this bipartisan investment will depend on aluminum.”
The framework addresses a number of the major infrastructure priorities the Aluminum Association laid out earlier this year:
- Vehicle electrification: The bipartisan deal supports the market-based transition to an electric vehicle fleet by 2040. Aluminum chassis, shock towers, motor and battery housings and internal panels allow electric vehicles to travel further, safer. Aluminum is also a key component of the charging networks that allow these vehicles to refuel.
- Bridge rehabilitation: With 45,000 of our nation’s bridges in poor condition, the $40 billion of new bridge funding is vital to our industry building our nation’s bridges back better. Our industry has developed aluminum alloys that allow for reduced maintenance and a greater service lifespan at a cheaper cost over the entire life cycle of a bridge.
- Electric grid modernization: The framework includes $73 billion to modernize U.S. electricity transmission, the largest single investment in our nation’s history. With a better conductivity-to-weight ratio than copper and significant economic benefits, aluminum has for decades been the leading material used in wiring power grids. Aluminum is also vital for solar power with more than 85 percent of solar photovoltaic components made from aluminum.
- Public transportation building: Aluminum is used extensively as a building material in large public transportation building projects. Aluminum’s durability means it can serve its function in a building for many decades, reducing maintenance costs. The framework’s investments in our nation’s transit hubs would depend on aluminum’s attributes to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and optimize the life cycles of the buildings themselves.
- Recycling infrastructure: The framework includes a number of down payments needed to improve our nation’s recycling infrastructure supporting a more circular economy, including a Department of Energy (DOE) critical mineral recycling pilot program and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recycling education program. As a founding member of the Recycling Infrastructure Coalition and as producers of a one of the most recycled materials on the planet, the Aluminum Association supports greater investment in recycling at the materials recovery facility level.
The U.S. aluminum industry is proud to support this once-in-a-generation opportunity that will increase our global competitiveness, harness the innovation of American workers in order to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century and drive toward a more sustainable future. The Aluminum Association looks forward to working with members in both the House and Senate toward enactment of this legislation.
Media Contact
Matt Meenan
mmeenan@aluminum.org
703-358-2977