CEO Note: Stealing Steel Decarbonization

The document criticizes Nippon Steel and Cleveland-Cliffs for investing in coal-fired infrastructure despite public commitments to green steel. It highlights a $350 million renovation of a blast furnace at Gary Works by Nippon Steel and the refurbishment of a 73-year-old furnace by Cleveland-Cliffs in Middletown, Ohio, despite the latter receiving a $500 million Inflation Reduction Act grant for decarbonization. The author suggests that automotive companies and international markets, particularly in Europe, should use their purchasing power to pressure steelmakers to transition away from coal.

• Steel production accounts for 9 percent of global climate pollution, making the decarbonization of heavy industry a critical priority.
• Nippon Steel spent $350 million to renovate the largest coal-fired blast furnace in the U.S. at Gary Works in Indiana, a move that could result in over 100 million metric tons of cumulative CO2 emissions, equivalent to the annual emissions of 23 coal-fired plants.
• Cleveland-Cliffs received a $500 million grant under the Inflation Reduction Act intended for net-zero progress at its Middletown facility in Ohio, but instead announced plans to refurbish its 73-year-old blast furnace to operate for another two decades.
• European automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volvo, and Volkswagen, are leading the transition by securing low- and near-zero-emissions steel produced via green hydrogen and renewable electricity.

APA

Hurowitz, G. (2026). CEO Note: Stealing Steel Decarbonization. Mighty Earth. https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-stealing-steel-decarbonization/

Chicago

Hurowitz, Glenn. CEO Note: Stealing Steel Decarbonization. Mighty Earth, 2026. https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-stealing-steel-decarbonization/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Hurowitz |first1=Glenn |title=CEO Note: Stealing Steel Decarbonization |publisher=Mighty Earth |date=10 September 2026 |url=https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-stealing-steel-decarbonization/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{hurowitz2026ceo, author = {Hurowitz, Glenn}, title = {{CEO Note: Stealing Steel Decarbonization}}, publisher = {Mighty Earth}, year = {2026}, month = sep, url = {https://mightyearth.org/article/ceo-note-stealing-steel-decarbonization/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }