Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs says a proposed Biden Administration rule could force the closing of its Butler plant.
More than 1000 jobs would be lost.
The rule would require transformers to contain amorphous metal cores instead of the grain-oriented steel cores Cleveland-Cliffs makes in Butler.
UAW Local 3303 President Jamie Sychak told KDKA Radio's Rick Dayton the rule compromises national security.
“We’ve become solely reliant on foreign entities to keep the lights on,” said Sychak. “We have hurricanes, wildfires, cyber-attacks, physical attacks, anything that shuts the power out for any length of time, people’s lives are at stake.”
The Butler facility is the only source of transformers with grain-oriented steel cores in the country.
Congressman Mike Kelly, who's backing a bill to stop the Energy Department from requiring transformers to contain amorphous metal cores instead of grain-oriented steel cores like Cleveland-Cliffs makes in Butler.
Kelley says losing it can make the electric grid less reliable and leave the nation dependent on foreign metal.
“If we’ve learned nothing from what happened during this pandemic, it is this, we cannot continue to rely on the productions of products we need from foreign sources,” said Kelly.
Kelly and several other lawmakers, including Chris Deluzio, have introduced a bill to stop the new rule preserve the market for transformers built in Butler.