USITC issues facility-level greenhouse gas emissions questionnaire to aluminum foundries
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is undertaking a new fact finding investigation that will assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity of steel and aluminum products produced in the United States. As part of its investigation, the Commission will conduct a survey by issuing two separate questionnaires to firms with facilities producing steel and aluminum in the United States, whether U.S. or foreign owned, to collect data on their production of these goods and associated GHG emissions.
If you own or operate an aluminum or steel foundry in the United States, your participation is mandatory under federal law (19 U.S.C. §1333(a)).
The first survey is a company-level questionnaire which asks for a point of contact for each facility your company owns that produced covered products (aluminum castings) in 2022. Most covered aluminum and steel foundries began receiving notification of the obligation to participate back in February 2024. The deadline to submit your response back to the USITC using the online submission portal is April 22, 2024.
The second survey is a facility level survey which will be sent to each point of contact provided in the first response. NFFS has learned many aluminum foundries have already began receiving the facility level data questionnaire last week. The 55-page Aluminum-Only version includes 7 sections as identified below.
Section Numbers and Titles for the USITC Facility Level - Aluminum Only
- Facility Information
- U.S. Production of Steel and Aluminum
- Fuel Combustion and Energy Allocation
- Purchased Energy
- Uses and Sources of Production Inputs
- No section 6 in the Aluminum Survey
- Other Information (Optional)
- Certification
The cover letter sent with each facility level survey indicates a submission deadline of June 8, 2024 via the web-based questionnaire available at https://www.usitc.gov/saemissions.
Important Guidance for Aluminum Foundries:
Make sure to read the product definitions found on pages 7-19 of the facility level questionnaire! According to the definitions, Aluminum Castings (HTS Code 7616995160) are considered a 'wrought' aluminum product. Be sure to read the survey carefully and to properly categorize your aluminum castings as wrought aluminum products where indicated.
FREE U. S International Trade Commission Webinar on GHG Emissions surveys
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) will be hosting a webinar to explain the survey that will be distributed in conjunction with the Commission’s factfinding investigation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensities of the U.S. Steel and Aluminum Industries at the Product Level, Investigation No. 332-598, and to answer any questions from survey respondents.
For aluminum producers, the USITC webinar will be held on Friday, April 26, 2024, beginning at 11:00 AM ET. Use the following WebEx link to join: https://usitc.webex.com/usitc/j.php?MTID=md1ecba53daf919664f998599f8b3cee7 Additional information on the USITC webinars is available HERE.
Final USITC Report Timeline
As requested by the USTR, the USITC will deliver the report containing the product category-level emissions intensity estimates no later than January 28, 2025. Additional information on the survey, covered products, and the specifics of USTR's request are available on the investigation website: https://www.usitc.gov/saemissions.