Trump Just Used a $500 Million Clean Steel Grant to Fund a Coal Furnace
This story was originally published by Canary Media and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. A $500 million Biden-era grant to decarbonize steelmaking has been refashioned by the Trump administration to upgrade a coal-fueled blast furnace in southern Ohio. On Friday, Cleveland-Cliffs confirmed that the US Department of Energy had changed the scope of the previously…
The Biden administration's $500 million grant aimed at decarbonizing steel production has been altered by the Trump administration to support a coal-powered blast furnace in southern Ohio. Cleveland-Cliffs, the plant's owner, confirmed this shift, revealing plans to refurbish and optimize a 73-year-old blast furnace instead of replacing it with cleaner technology.
The move has sparked criticism from environmental groups and local residents, who argue that the funds should have been used to eliminate industrial emissions rather than potentially increasing local air pollution. The plant, which produces steel used in automotive components, had initially planned to transition to cleaner, hydrogen-ready technology and electric furnaces using the grant.
However, following President Donald Trump's administration, the company decided to focus on using coal for the blast furnace. Despite the criticism, Cleveland-Cliffs plans to invest an additional $500 million of its own funds to match the DOE's grant. The company argues that the revised plan, which includes a cogeneration plant and waste gas utilization, represents an advanced technology aimed at improving efficiency and energy performance.
However, critics contend that the project will not contribute to net-zero emissions, as the focus remains on coal rather than cleaner energy sources.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
