Ohio Local 1943 Aids Cleveland-Cliffs’ Green Transition with Federal Funding

TL/DR –

Cleveland-Cliffs in Middletown, Ohio, has been granted up to $500 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act for environmental improvements. The funding will be used to retire a blast furnace and replace it with two electric ones, which will reduce the carbon intensity of ironmaking by more than 50%. The grant will also create 170 permanent jobs, 1,200 temporary construction jobs, and preserve the site’s existing 2,500 jobs, including 2,000 IAM Local 1943 members.

Cleveland-Cliffs Secures $500M Federal Funding for Greenhouse Gas Reduction

The Middletown, Ohio-based Cleveland-Cliffs has secured up to $500 million in federal funding to curb greenhouse gas emissions in high-energy industries. As America’s largest flat-rolled steel producer, Cleveland-Cliffs plans to use the funding, sourced from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, to retire a blast furnace and install two electric ones, creating 170 permanent jobs and 1,200 temporary union construction jobs while preserving 2,500 existing jobs.

IAM Local 1943 members, comprising 2,000 of the site’s workforce, will play a crucial role in implementing eco-friendly projects aimed at using natural gas as fuel, reducing carbon intensity in ironmaking by over 50%. The facility could also potentially transition to a combination of natural gas and clean hydrogen, or solely clean hydrogen, potentially reducing carbon intensity by over 90%.

Support for Union Jobs and Industrial Communities

The initiative supports union job creation, revitalizes industrial communities, and fortifies US manufacturing competitiveness. IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President, David Sullivan lauds the award for benefiting Ohio’s working families and strengthening the American workforce.

Cleveland-Cliffs aims to cut carbon emissions and become a leading low greenhouse gas-emitting iron and steel facility. The Department of Energy grant is an affirmation of the role IAM Local 1943 members have played in driving the US economy, said IAM Local 1943 President and Directing Business Representative Shawn Coffey.

U.S. Department of Energy Support

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited Cleveland-Cliffs Steel in Middletown, Ohio, to announce the investment, emphasizing how it could support Ohio’s working families. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) implored the U.S. Energy Department to approve the funding. Brown believes the partnership will allow Ohio manufacturing to lead world technologies for years to come.

Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Twitter

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