Senate climate-change bill ‘a step backward’ for steel, aluminum

Nov 02, 2009 | 11:24 AM | Scott Robertson

The American Materials Manufacturing Alliance (AMMA) hopes the Senate version of a climate-change bill, scheduled for mark up this week, is shot down.

The Washington-based organization, led by representatives of the steel, aluminum, chemistry and forest and paper industries, says the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's "chairman's mark" of the proposed legislation (S.1733) requires major changes in order to prevent it from further eroding the American manufacturing base.

AMMA believes the Senate bill is "a step backward" from the Waxman-Markey legislation (H.R.2454) passed by the House of Representatives and would ultimately cause more harm to the environment and to American manufacturing than it would prevent.

"We were hoping we would see further effort to protect high-paying American manufacturing jobs," said Cal Dooley, president and chief executive officer of the American Chemistry Council. "Unfortunately, this draft would have to be considered a step backward."

Dooley said the bill would reduce allowances to energy-intensive, trade-exposed industries in the United States by drastically reducing the number of energy allowances available to them while at the same time failing to take into account the impact that rising energy costs will continue to have on struggling American manufacturers.....