Meeting discusses future of manufacturing, decarbonization in Pennsylvania

A recent meeting in Pittsburgh, hosted by U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, discussed the future of manufacturing and decarbonization.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy plans to make available $75 million for cost-shared research and development projects that accelerate decarbonization technologies for major industrial sectors. This includes steel and natural gas, industries vital to Western Pennsylvania’s economy.

“Western Pennsylvania is poised to be a leader in building the clean economy of the future,” Lamb said. “We have a combination of resources no one else has: steelmaking expertise, abundant natural gas, and world-class researchers at both (National Energy Technology Laboratory) and the universities. With the right investment, this team can lead the world in low-carbon steel.”

DOE senior officials and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm met with regional stakeholders. Officials included representatives from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which works on the transition to a global clean energy economy; the Loan Program Office, providing debt financing for the commercial deployment of large-scale energy projects; and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, that funds research and development projects that reduce the cost of advanced fossil energy technologies and advance the sustainable use of fossil resources. Local stakeholders included representatives from government, labor, industry, academia, and philanthropy.