Aluminum Week: See You at Aluminum USA | Pressure Mounting on Administration for China Action

The Lead

Our (fully vaccinated!) staff was happy to get together this week to celebrate John Weritz, who – after nearly a decade as our vice president for standards & technology – will be leaving the association in a full-time capacity following the association’s annual meeting in late September. John will be remain active in the association’s work as a consultant on a few key projects. I hope you’ll join us in passing best wishes on to John as he embarks on this next chapter.

Here’s what you need to know this week:

The White House announced that it will make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available for all eligible Americans next month, citing recent data that vaccine protection from infection wanes significantly over time. The vaccines still appear to provide strong protection from severe disease. The boosters are recommended eight months after the second vaccine dose. The news comes as COVID cases, hospitalization and deaths continue to rise in the United States – in some areas past prior pandemic peaks.

Weekly jobless claims hit a new pandemic era low last week as continuing claims also dropped. Both remain elevated compared to historic levels.

The House of Representatives is expected to return to Washington next week and infrastructure (subscription) will be at the top of the agenda. Moderate Democrats are pushing for a separate vote on the bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill while progressives (and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)) wants to tie the bill the $3.5 trillion health care, education and climate budget package.

Aluminum cans are increasingly replacing plastic bottles for beverages globally as concerns about plastic pollution grow. Aluminum cans are recycled at far higher rates than plastic or glass … a process that can happen over and over again.

Mario Greco, Director of Strategy & Marketing for Global Automotive at Novelis and former Aluminum Transportation Group chair, will represent the Aluminum Association during a hearing next week hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on newly announced proposed vehicle fuel economy standards.

The association’s Section 232 Working Group met with Department of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) staff with a recommendation on how to navigate the ongoing aluminum tariff dispute between the U.S. and European Union (EU). Rather than a hard tariff rate quota (TRQ) to replace the 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from the EU, the Aluminum Association is proposing that the tariff be gradually reduced until it reaches parity on a U.S./EU Most Favored Nation basis. A hard quota would be highly disruptive to industry trade flows and hurt U.S. aluminum companies. We also called on the Commerce Department to reform its product exclusion process and continue to work with our allies to pressure China to stop exporting heavily subsidized aluminum.

The National Association of Manufacturers Manufacturing Day 2021 is coming October 1. This is a great opportunity to join thousands of manufacturers across North America as they showcase what modern manufacturing looks like and inspire the next generation of skilled workers. Learn more and register your event here.

Congratulations to Aluminum Association member company Granges Americas, which celebrated its fifth anniversary this week!

We are just 10 days away from the start of the Aluminum USA trade show in Louisville, KY August 31 – September 2. Learn more about some important COVID-19 safety measures for the event below.

For Aluminum

See You in Louisville: Just a little over a week until we kick off Aluminum USA festivities in Louisville! Both the Executive Insights Conference on Aug. 31 and the exhibit hall on Sept. 1-2 will provide excellent opportunities to network, participate in technical presentations and discussions, and engage in conversations on major trends impacting the full value chain. Returning to in-person events safely is our top priority. I encourage you to review the updated health and safety guidelines for Aluminum USA 2021, including required face coverings and increased sanitization. There is still time to register to attend the week’s events – click here to join your colleagues in Louisville.

Recycling Infrastructure Remains Top of Mind: Mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, and chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Environment Standing Committee, Rick Kriseman, recently penned an op-ed for RealClearPolicy advocating for federal investment in materials recovery facilities (MRFs) to increase those facilities capacity for sorting and processing to return valuable feedstock to manufacturers. He writes that “now is the time for a national solution to help America become a world class leader for remaking recyclable material into new products.” This week, I had the opportunity to join other Recycling Infrastructure Now (RIN) Coalition leaders to discuss opportunities for the industry with Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. We thanked him for including MRF funding and RECYLCE Act grants in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the Senate last week. The Aluminum Association continues to advocate for our recycling priorities at the local and national level. Contact John Richard with any questions.

Get Ready for MFG Day 2021: Launched the first Friday in October, MFG Day kicks off a month of programs aimed at promoting manufacturing to students, parents and educators across the country. MFG Day 2021 falls on October 1 and gives companies the opportunity to highlight manufacturing careers by opening their doors to demonstrate the reality of modern manufacturing careers. I urge you to engage your company in this great effort to show students the opportunities that come with pursuing manufacturing career paths. Learn more here.

New Life for an Old Smelter: Those with a long history in the aluminum industry will recall that the former Ormet smelter in Hannibal, Ohio, smelted primary aluminum on a 1,700-acre site for more than 50 years alongside the Ohio River before closing in 2013. Since then, the site has undergone significant redevelopment and is now the home of the Long Ridge Energy Project, a highly efficient combined-cycle gas turbine facility that will generate 435 MW of electricity when it opens later this month. Notably, a related on-site facility will generate hydrogen with plans to begin blending 5 percent hydrogen into the fuel fed to the turbine starting in November. The facility has a goal for the turbine to operate on 100 percent hydrogen within 10 years. Plans for the site include construction of data centers that will consume much of the generated power along with storage of the generated hydrogen underground.

New Badge, New Engine and a Whole Lot of Aluminum for Toyota GR 86: Toyota recently introduced the 2022 GR 86, a daily driver with enough power and track knowhow to have fun where it counts. Aided by an aluminum roof and front fenders, this amateur racer weighs in at 2,811 lbs. – making it one of the lightest sports cars on the market. Learn more about how aluminum makes the GR 86 go round and round here.

At the White House

Pressure Mounting on Administration for China Action: This month, a broad coalition led by the U.S.-China Business Council sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai to ask them to redouble their efforts with China, boost tariff exclusion processes and open more of China’s market to U.S. goods and services. Another group of industries, led by the National Retail Federation, recently filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of International Trade arguing that List 3 and List 4A tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 are unlawful. The Aluminum Association continues to work with other industries to ensure Section 301 tariffs are maintained on aluminum imports from China until systemic, unfairly subsidized overcapacity in the market is addressed. Contact John Richard with any questions.