U.S. government requires ‘infrastructure construction using only U.S. steel’
The U.S. government recently released initial implementation guidelines for applying the Buy America incentives to infrastructure federal financial assistance programs.
The guide emphasizes that on November 15, 2021, US President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill proposes relevant provisions including “Building America” and “Buying American Products”. It is reported that the purpose of the bill is to consolidate the US industrial base and protect US national security. The guidelines require that they come into effect no later than May 14, 2022.
It is reported that the bill requires that starting May 14, 2022, all-steel materials used in federal financial aid programs for infrastructure must be produced in the United States. Specific requirements include: all steel products used for infrastructure construction must be produced in the United States, and all construction materials manufacturing processes must occur in the United States, etc.
In addition, the guide also points out three situations in which the “Buy American” requirement can be exempted: first, if purchasing steel domestically is “not in the public interest,” second, if the production or quality of steel products in the United States is insufficient, and third, if Using U.S. steel products will increase project costs by more than 25%.
North Carolina House Speaker Moore criticized “only buy American products”, saying that the state government will adopt a different but more effective strategy to develop the economy.