Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) engages on climate policy with a mix of positive and negative positions, with evidence of advocacy at the US federal and state levels.. The association supports government climate regulation with some caveats around maintaining industry competitiveness. AISI has backed recent US climate policies, including the Biden Administration’s 2030 EV Target and renewable energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. It is also largely supportive of the transition of the energy mix, with analysis over time suggesting that its positions have become somewhat more positive since 2019.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: AISI appears to be support climate action in its top-line communications with some caveats, however in 2025 it seems to take more unsupportive stances. According to its website, accessed in April 2024, the association does not clearly recognize the IPCC scientific consensus on climate change. Nevertheless, on AISI’s EPA Request for Information Response for power plants rules from May 2023, the association acknowledged the necessity of responding to climate change and committed to reducing the environmental footprint of steel products. However, in its Comments with the Midwest Ozone Group on Proposed Repeal of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units from August 2025, the association promotes climate denial in policymaking: stating support for the Trump administration's proposed repeal of the federal power plant carbon standards.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policies: AISI appears to take mostly supportive positions on climate-related regulations but has raised concerns about certain proposals. In August 2023, the association opposed the EPA’s power plant rules, arguing that the proposed regulations exceed EPA’s legal authority and could harm U.S. manufacturers' competitiveness. At the same time, AISI has emphasized the threat of carbon leakage due to climate policy, suggesting that such policies could shift economic activity to countries with less stringent environmental standards. In line with this, in November imports. Additionally, in January 2024, the association backed specific energy efficiency legislation, such as the PROVE IT Act, to highlight the carbon efficiency of U.S. products. A September 2022 tweet quoting the CEO supported the renewable and nuclear energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Positioning on Energy Transition: AISI's stance on the energy transition has shown improvement between 2022-2024, however in 2025 the association stance appears to be negative. In its September 2022 report ‘American Steel’s Carbon Advantage,’ AISI supported electrifying the steel industry and, in a press release from the same month, supported government efforts to purchase low-carbon materials. Additionally, In February 2022 comments to the Department of Energy, AISI advocated for decarbonizing the steel industry through renewable energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and clean hydrogen. In its comments with the Midwest Ozone Group, AISI supports the Trump administration's proposed repeal of the finalized carbon standards for existing coal- and new gas-fired power plants and suggests that the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency was acting beyond its legal boundary in finalizing these standards. Additionally, in a joint letter from June 2025 to US Congress authorities, the association directly advocates for the repeal or rapidly phase out many of the Inflation Reduction Act's climate incentives and facilitates the buildout of fossil fuel infrastructure.
Moreover, AISI has expressed concerns about the competitiveness impacts of ambitious energy efficiency targets, as noted in its March 2023 Profile Book report. In its November 2023 Pre-Hearing Statement, AISI's President and CEO supported transitioning the energy mix and funding clean hydrogen technologies, but highlighted obstacles like the need for decarbonized electricity. Nevertheless, AISI opposed the EPA's proposed power plant rules in August 2023 through individual and joint comments with the Midwest Ozone Group and EITE Manufacturers, citing potential negative impacts on U.S. manufacturers.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.