Biden Plan Can Cut Industrial Climate Pollution, Boost Jobs and U.S. Competitiveness

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden administration reportedly is announcing a major industrial sector plan today, seeking to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the manufacture of widely-used materials such as steel and concrete. Emissions from the U.S. heavy industrial sector must be reduced to protect communities and help meet the Biden administration’s goal of cutting carbon pollution nationwide from all key sources 50-52 percent by 2030.

The following is a comment by Sasha Stashwick, an industrial decarbonization expert and senior advocate in the Climate and Clean Energy program at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“Industrial materials like concrete, cement, steel, and aluminum are both carbon-intensive to produce and foundational to modern life. As the global demand for them grows, the only way to meet our climate goals and protect communities—including those on the frontlines of industrial pollution—is to explore all avenues to clean up these industries.

“We need to study the plan in detail before commenting further, but it is critically important that the Biden administration is taking action on curbing dangerous carbon emissions from U.S. heavy industry—which is responsible for almost a quarter of our nation’s carbon footprint. This plan can cut climate pollution while creating jobs and making us more competitive on the world stage. With its focus on supporting innovation, using federal procurement to build markets for cleaner industrial materials, trade policy, and economic development, the White House shows it’s committed to a holistic industrial policy for the future.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.