by Mike Rippey
Roll Call Guest Opinion
April 11, 2013
The future of American manufacturing and, perhaps more significantly, the rebound of this nation’s steel industry was the focus of testimonies recently made to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. I, along with other steel industry executives, covered critical issues ranging from trade and infrastructure to energy and environment; yet, one of the key headlines to emerge was steel’s essential and growing role in enabling the more fuel-efficient automobiles of tomorrow.
While U.S. automakers are continuing to grapple with how to meet tough federal fuel- efficiency goals by 2025, new evidence is pointing to steel as one of the more promising solutions. Increasingly efficient engines and electric powertrains will do much to get cars to the pending 54.5 miles per gallon Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. But, they certainly can’t do it all. Steel, as new evidence shows, has the proven potential to bridge the gap.