Today the BlueGreen Alliance hosted a webinar called Forging Ahead: Investing in Domestic Clean Aluminum in partnership with the Sustainable Aluminum Network. Government officials, union representatives, environmental experts, and industry representatives across the United States heard leading industrial manufacturing experts discuss the Inflation Reduction Act and its transformative power to restore the aluminum supply chain…

The BlueGreen Alliance today released Aluminum, Revitalized: Strengthening the Backbone of Our Clean Economy, a comprehensive report on how to reverse the recent decline of the U.S. aluminum industry to meet rising aluminum demand for clean energy while creating good-paying jobs, strengthening national security, and reducing industrial emissions.

As one of the most important metals for modern life, aluminum is all around us. From our bridges and high-rise buildings to our smartphones and kitchen appliances, this highly durable, lightweight, and conductive material is essential. It’s also a key ingredient for achieving our climate, jobs, and national security goals. As a primary component of solar panels, power lines, electric vehicles (EVs), and other clean technologies, aluminum is a building block of our clean energy solutions.1 At the same time, producing aluminum requires a tremendous amount of energy, and globally, the sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As the world produces increasing amounts of this material for the clean energy economy, we must simultaneously decrease the emissions from its production in order to achieve global climate targets.

On February 24, 2023 the White House announced a 200% tariff on aluminum imports from Russia in response to its war in Ukraine. Currently, the U.S. imports more than 6 million tons of aluminum per year. The domestic industry has been on the decline for over a decade and currently only five aluminum smelters are operational within the country. 

Blue Wolf Capital Partners announced today that they would no longer pursue the purchase of the idled Alcoa Intalco smelter in Ferndale, WA, after it was clear the company would not be able to affordably purchase the clean power needed to run the facility. In response to the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh.

By revitalizing clean U.S. aluminum manufacturing, we can create good jobs for hard-hit workers and communities, cut a major source of climate pollution, support clean air and community health, and secure a reliable supply of an essential material for clean energy. 

Today Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Don Beyer (D-VA), and Ami Bera (D-CA) introduced bicameral versions of the Clean Competition Act. The bill would impose a border fee on imports from carbon-intensive industries such as steel, aluminum, cement, and iron. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a similar bill, the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, on November 3, 2023.

Researchers at Dartmouth and Princeton released a report on the estimated impacts the Inflation Reduction Act will have on the U.S. wind and solar industry.

Researchers at Dartmouth and Princeton released a BlueGreen Alliance-funded report on the estimated impacts the Inflation Reduction Act will have on the U.S. wind and solar industry, including changes in wind and solar manufacturing, labor standards for clean energy workers, job creation, and demand for materials.

The clean technology supply chain analysis below can help federal and state policymakers, advocates, developers, journalists, and others trying to break down the complexity of domestic supply chains for clean energy. The map and spreadsheet below show how we can use new investments in the Inflation Reduction Act to bridge supply chain gaps and build a stronger, cleaner, and fairer industrial base for the clean economy in the U.S.