State of the Union garners mixed reviews

Feb 13, 2013 | 04:48 PM | Samuel Frizell

Tags  State of the Union, Barack Obama, Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa, American Iron and Steel Institute, Steel Manufacturers Association, Precision Metalforming Association, manufacturing climate

NEW YORK — U.S. manufacturers and metal market participants had mixed reactions to President Obama’s State of the Union address, with some industry leaders lauding the President’s emphasis on manufacturing and others concerned by the specter of carbon regulation and unanswered questions about trade.

The President focused on economic growth and job creation in the Feb. 12 address, praising the manufacturing sector for adding 500,000 jobs in the past three years.

"We are pleased that the President seems to recognize the contributions of manufacturers like our nation’s steel industry to a strong economy. And we were encouraged to hear him talk about the importance of growing manufacturing, enhancing our infrastructure and promoting fair trade," Thomas Gibson, President of the American Iron and Steel Institute, said in a statement. "However, he didn’t provide many specifics about how his administration is going to do those things. The speech was a mixed bag of admirable goals with uncertain outcomes and was missing some important details."....