GuShiio.com ① Alcoa said on Tuesday that President Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on aluminum imports could cost about 100,000 jobs in the United States and would not increase U.S. aluminum production;
② Company CEO Bill Oplinger said he had lobbied Trump officials to request tariff exemptions for Canadian aluminum imports.
Cailian News, February 26 (Editor Bian Chun)Alcoa, the largest. aluminum producer, said on Tuesday that President Trump plans to impose tariffs on aluminum imports,It may cause the loss of about 100,000 jobs in the United States, and it will not increase U.S. aluminum production。
U.S. President Trump signed an executive order earlier this month imposing a 25% tariff on all aluminum imported into the United States, which will take effect on March 12. The new tariff rate is 15 percentage points higher than previous levels and does not allow for any exceptions or exemptions.
Trump’s move aims to increase U.S. aluminum production.
Data shows that U.S. aluminum smelters produced only 670,000 tons last year, compared with 3.7 million tons in 2000. In recent years, aluminum smelters in many parts of the United States, including Kentucky and Missouri, have closed, making the country rely heavily on aluminum imports to meet domestic demand.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Canada is the largest source of aluminum imports to the United States, exporting US$11 billion worth of primary aluminum and aluminum products to the United States last year. Last year, the United States imported a total of US$27 billion worth of aluminum. Other sources include China, Mexico and other countries.
Aluminum is an extremely important metal. Due to its excellent characteristics such as light weight, corrosion resistance, good conductivity, and recyclability, it is widely used in many key fields such as aerospace, automobiles, construction, electronics and electrical appliances.
Alcoa is headquartered in Pittsburgh. In addition to the United States, it also produces aluminum in Canada, Iceland, Australia and other places. The company has cut U.S. aluminum production in recent years, in part because of rising power costs.
Aluminum tariffs may cost 100,000 jobs
Alcoa CEO Bill Oplinger recently said at an industry conference thatTariffs could cost the U.S. aluminum industry about 20,000 jobs and 80,000 jobs in aluminum upstream and downstream industries。
"This is not good for the U.S. aluminum industry and not good for American workers. quot; Oplinger said.
Data from the Aluminum Association shows that the U.S. aluminum industry directly employs 164000 workers and indirectly employs 272000 workers in industries such as mining, construction and manufacturing.
Tariffs alone are not enough to increase aluminum production
inger saidTariffs alone will not be enough to lure Alcoa to restart closed U.S. plants, adding that Trump administration officials have asked the company to do so.。
"It is difficult to make investment decisions without knowing how long tariffs will last, even to restart such a decision. quot; He said.
inger saidHe has lobbied Trump officials for tariff exemptions on Canadian aluminum imports。
He also saidIf Alcoa can get cheap electricity, the company will consider increasing production in the United States。Aluminum smelting consumes a large amount of electricity.
In addition, Oplinger said he believed Russian aluminum could enter Europe once the conflict between Ukraine and Russia ended. He also said he believed there were opportunities for consolidation in the global aluminum market, but did not provide details.
