Rep. Mike Kelly: Energy mandate affecting Butler Works still possible
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said Thursday, March 28, a proposed mandate from the U.S. Department of Energy that would hamper Cleveland-Cliffs’ Butler Works plant could still be implemented, despite Gov. Josh Shapiro saying otherwise Wednesday.
The DOE’s proposal would undermine grain-oriented electrical steel — produced domestically only at Butler Works in favor of production of amorphous steel, which the DOE said is more efficient. Kelly said the official proposal of the mandate has not yet been released, so the efficiency standards could still be included in the final draft.
“Right now, the rule has not changed,” he said. “I am still planning to hold my April 1 town hall in Butler to send a very clear message to the Department of Energy — this rule must be fixed, and these jobs must be saved.”
Shapiro said Wednesday that President Joe Biden’s administration has stopped the mandate, which would have potentially cut 1,300 jobs at the Butler Works plant, following direct communication with the president’s administration and the DOE. Shapiro wrote a letter dated March 13 to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget urging the office to reconsider the DOE’s proposed rule.
A news release from Kelly's office said that neither he nor the Butler Works union, United Auto Workers Local 3303, has received documentation confirming the DOE’s decision. Jamie Sychak, president of UAW Local 3303, also said Wednesday that he had not been able to confirm that the proposed rule has been scrapped, even after contact with Shapiro’s office.
Kelly still plans to host a public town hall meeting on the matter at 6 p.m. April 1 at Founders Hall at Butler County Community College. The meeting will be attended by local elected officials and other stakeholders who would be affected by a the mandate.
Kelly said his concerns about Cleveland-Cliffs’ Butler Works plant will remain until the DOE formally nixes the proposal.
“I appreciate Gov. Shapiro’s bipartisan support of our years-long effort to save the Butler Works plant and 1,300 family-sustaining jobs in Butler County,” Kelly said. “But let’s be clear: The Department of Energy has not formally repealed this rule.”
The U.S. Department of Energy has not returned calls for comment.
