Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), issued a statement in reaction to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) passage of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act (STRA) of 2021, which authorizes $303.5 billion for Department of Transportation (DOT) programs.

“The bill makes much-needed investments in the nation’s surface transportation infrastructure and is a significant step to rebuilding America’s highways, roads and bridges. Providing federal agencies and states with long-term, predictable funding allows them to commit to major steel-intensive infrastructure projects, and we are pleased that this measure is a critical step in that direction. We also appreciate that under the bill Buy America rules will continue to require that steel purchased with federal funds for DOT infrastructure projects be melted and poured in the United States. An efficient and robust transportation network is essential to the competitiveness of the domestic steel industry, its customers and suppliers, and American manufacturing as a whole. We urge the full Senate to take up and pass substantial long-term infrastructure legislation in the coming weeks.”