Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna introduces the Modern Steel Act using ResponsibleSteel's Progress Level 4 as a benchmark for near-zero steel

On August 9th, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna introduced a new bill to strengthen the US's domestic steel industry and build new iron and steel sites - the Modern Steel Act.

As our Director of Development and Innovation, Sivakumar Kuppuswamy, commented, “We are delighted by the introduction of the Modern Steel Act 2024, which aims to drive innovation, and the development of near-net-zero steel production. This transformative bill not only promotes innovative practices in near/net-zero steel production but also fosters a collaborative approach to boost job creation and community development. We're encouraged to see the ResponsibleSteel standard referenced as a benchmark for measuring and defining near-zero steel, which will drive meaningful transparency and progress in the sustainability efforts of the steel industry and its stakeholders."

The Modern Steel Act would build new iron and steel sites in deindustrialised towns, bringing a new generation of steelmaking to the US, creating jobs, and increasing US industrial competitiveness.

To achieve these goals, the Modern Steel Act plans to:

- Partner with the steel industry and workers to build new, modern facilities producing near-zero emissions iron and/or steel, using cutting edge technologies like hydrogen direct reduction

- Give priority to existing and legacy steel, iron, coke and coal communities

- Enable production of near-zero emissions iron and steel

- Upgrade existing integrated mills and mini-mills to employ lower-emissions technologies

- Balance supply, strengthen supply chain resilience, and protect health

- Explore demand generation opportunities

- Uphold strong labor standards and train workers to make the steel of the future

- Prioritise projects using domestic content, including all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials from US manufacturers

Learn more about the Modern Steel Act here.

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