Much American steel for Keystone XL pipeline unlikely

[BobH]

Looks like the horses have already left the barn on that one.

American steel unlikely to get Keystone boost despite Trump order | Reuters

Looks like a Russian company has already made a lot of it.

EVRAZ North America

Bob

[Gasman]

Seen that one comming a mile away.

[thebigspendur]

Don't worry Trump will take care of it.

[RayClem]

While the keystone oil pipeline as made a lot of news, the amount of steel going into this project is quite small compared to the amount that will be needed to complete all the infrastructure projects that our country needs to repair/replace deteriorating bridges, airports, railroads, ships, military equipment, etc.

Many US steel mills in the rust belt have been closed for many years and will need repair, updating or replacement before they are capable of producing quality steel at competitive pricing. Workers will need to be hired and trained. In the meantime, steel from all over the world will be needed.

Like it or not, we live in a worldwide economy. We purchase DE razor blades from Japan, Russia, Turkey, Israel, etc. We purchase DE razors from England, Germany, India, and China, etc. We purchase straight razors that use Sheffield, Solingen, Swiss, Swedish, and Japanese steel as well as USA steel. We hone on stones from Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Japan, Brazil and China as well as the Novaculite stones from Arkansas, slate from Vermont, and Norton abrasives (which by the way is owned by French company). We purchase shaving soaps from England, France and Italy and use fragrances from France and England, etc. as well as those made in the USA. We purchase horsehair brushes from Spain and use brushes made of Badger hair or boar bristle that comes almost exclusively from China.

While it may be possible to wet shave using only products made entirely in the USA, your choices would be quite limited. I like supporting USA suppliers, but I also like the option of purchasing from around the world when those products better meet my needs.

[BobH]

While the keystone oil pipeline as made a lot of news, the amount of steel going into this project is quite small compared to the amount that will be needed to complete all the infrastructure projects that our country needs to repair/replace deteriorating bridges, airports, railroads, ships, military equipment, etc.

Many US steel mills in the rust belt have been closed for many years and will need repair, updating or replacement before they are capable of producing quality steel at competitive pricing. Workers will need to be hired and trained. In the meantime, steel from all over the world will be needed.

Like it or not, we live in a worldwide economy. We purchase DE razor blades from Japan, Russia, Turkey, Israel, etc. We purchase DE razors from England, Germany, India, and China, etc. We purchase straight razors that use Sheffield, Solingen, Swiss, Swedish, and Japanese steel as well as USA steel. We hone on stones from Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Japan, Brazil and China as well as the Novaculite stones from Arkansas, slate from Vermont, and Norton abrasives (which by the way is owned by French company). We purchase shaving soaps from England, France and Italy and use fragrances from France and England, etc. as well as those made in the USA. We purchase horsehair brushes from Spain and use brushes made of Badger hair or boar bristle that comes almost exclusively from China.

While it may be possible to wet shave using only products made entirely in the USA, your choices would be quite limited. I like supporting USA suppliers, but I also like the option of purchasing from around the world when those products better meet my needs.

Yes, I think that was clearly brought out in the Reuters article. There will be far greater demand for steel of all varieties that US manufacturing, as it now stands, will not be able to provide all of it. The lead time to revitalize existing disused steel mills or build new modern ones plus train workers is measured in years. That means that starting these infrastructure projects immediately will have little immediate impact on employment in US steel mills.

In the meantime EVRAZ will continue to produce and supply with the profits going to Russians. The Russians who own these types of companies are likely members of the Russian Oligarchy with direct connections to Putin. Considering the high likelihood of Russian interference with the US electoral process the whole thing seems to be not ideal. Lets not get into where President Trump's companies get financing from which is now also a question mark to some. The whole ball of wax is starting to smell bad enough to likely warrant an thorough investigation.

Yes, we do live in a globalized world and things are never going back to the 1950s-1960s era.

Bob

[Speedster]

Don't worry Trump will take care of it.

As he promised, we are seeing nothing but him winning.

[prodigy]

American steel is pretty much non existent. It's hard to compete with other countries when we have an epa and they (china) just dumps all their waste wherever they please. Unless we do something about the regulations, or the prices associated with the regulations, we will never be a top producer in any manufacturing industry ever again....

[BobH]

American steel is pretty much non existent. It's hard to compete with other countries when we have an epa and they (china) just dumps all their waste wherever they please. Unless we do something about the regulations, or the prices associated with the regulations, we will never be a top producer in any manufacturing industry ever again....

Maybe you should note where the steel for the Keystone XL pipeline came from in the Reuters article. From the Reuters article "About half of the pipe was forged in Arkansas, at a plant owned by India's Welspun. About a quarter came from a Russian-owned plant in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, and the rest came from Italy and India."

Seems the US can be competitive under the old EPA regulations as half was made in Arkansas in a plant owned by India's Welspun. Also 1/4 was supplied by a Russian owned plant in Saskatchewan, Canada. We all now how horribly over regulated, wink wink nod nod, Canada is. Obviously it is possible to be competitive even in a regulated environment.

Seems that the manufacturing capacity in the US for the type of steel specified for the pipeline is too limited to supply all of it from the US. Most of the capacity to produce the specified steel in the US resides with plants that are foreign owned.

I don't totally buy that the old EPA regulations are to blame for lack of capacity in the US to produce the specified steel in this case. I think you have to look elsewhere for that fault.

Bob