Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, 412-562-2444, jkamm@usw.org
United Steelworkers (USW) International President Tom Conway issued the following statement today in response to President Joe Biden’s plans to secure critical supply chains and increase domestic energy production:
“The USW welcomes President Biden’s leadership as we look to break our dangerous dependence on nations like China and Russia for our immediate and long-term energy needs.
“Increasing domestic oil production and releasing oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserves will alleviate the pressure too many American families are feeling as greedy companies seek to profit from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the disruptions to global energy markets it caused.
“As we look to the future, we will also need to safeguard access to the resources required for other energy technologies such as large capacity batteries.
“USW members across North America are already responsibly mining many of these materials. They stand ready and willing to further to mine, produce and recycle lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, graphite and other critical minerals as we build out and secure our own domestic supply chains.
“President Biden’s plans to allocate more resources to these industries will allow us to both keep our communities safe now and help our nation meet its energy needs well into the future.
“We look forward to working with the Biden administration as we secure our domestic supply chains and move toward energy independence.”
The USW represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations