[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 168 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO ALUMINUM INDUSTRY IN CONNECTION WITH AMERICA RECYCLES DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID LOEBSACK

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2015

  Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, we celebrate America Recycles Day on 
November 15. I rise today to pay tribute to the aluminum industry, 
which has a prominent role in my district, indeed throughout Iowa, and 
which probably does more than any sector of our economy to advance the 
cause of recycling.
  Before recounting the many ways in which aluminum, perhaps more than 
any other material, contributes to the success of recycling programs 
across the country, let me make clear why we in Iowa benefit so much 
from the aluminum industry and its hard-working employees.
  The aluminum industry is an integral part of the economy of Iowa. The 
industry operates over 20 facilities, handling all aspects of aluminum 
manufacturing, throughout Iowa. All told, these facilities employ 
thousands of workers, and thousands more indirectly and through 
suppliers. Estimates are that the economic output, between the 
manufacturing and wholesaling operations in the aluminum industry in 
Iowa, are around $2.0 billion. Over one billion dollars more in 
economic impact in the state derives from suppliers and other indirect 
contributions to the aluminum industry.
  Thankfully, these are good-paying jobs. Estimates are that wages paid 
are close to $800 million annually in Iowa as a result of the aluminum 
industry's footprint in Iowa, taking into account direct and indirect 
employment. And the state and local governments as a whole benefit, to 
the tune of well over $100 million in revenue from the aluminum 
industry.
  With that backdrop, I am pleased to salute the impact of the aluminum 
industry on recycling. The list of ways in which recycling pays huge 
dividends to our nation is long. First, recycling aluminum saves more 
than 90 percent of the energy that would be needed to create a 
comparable amount of the metal from raw materials. Think of it this 
way: by recycling a single aluminum can, you are saving enough energy 
to power a large screen television for more than 2 hours. Rather than 
the expense and energy consumption associated with mining and 
processing raw materials to make aluminum products, recycling used 
aluminum can be done at a tiny fraction of the energy utilization.
  That is why recycling is a core business of the aluminum industry. In 
the U.S., the industry collects nearly 12 billion pounds of aluminum 
each year for recycling, almost all of which goes back into North 
American supply. In fact, more than 70 percent of U.S. aluminum 
production today is in recycled metal--an exact reversal of the trend 
in 1980. What's more nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produced around 
the world is still in use today.
  A used aluminum can is recycled and back on the shelf as a new can in 
as few as 60 days--something that happens over and over again. And last 
year, the domestic aluminum industry recycled nearly 60 billion cans--
that saved the equivalent energy of taking 1 million cars off the road 
for a year.
  Aluminum saves energy in other ways as well. It can be a tremendous 
factor in enabling buildings to achieve modem energy efficiency 
standards. The first LEED-certified building in California, for 
instance, received this recognition in part because of creative uses of 
aluminum that cools the building naturally.
  But energy savings are only part of the story. Companies across the 
country are incorporating environmental and sustainability objectives 
into corporate commitments, and aluminum is a major piece of their 
ability to meet their goals.
  Perhaps the best aspect of aluminum's recycling story is its role in 
job creation. No matter our political persuasion, Mr. Speaker, each of 
us is committed to the creation of U.S. jobs, and aluminum has a 
wonderful story to tell here. The collection of aluminum at the curb or 
in the alley creates thousands of jobs around the country, as does the 
sorting of aluminum at processing centers. Even more jobs are created 
at plants that receive recycled aluminum, and turn it into new product. 
More than 157,000 workers are directly employed in the industry, and 
for each aluminum industry job, an additional 3.3 employment positions 
are created elsewhere.
  This story will be enhanced by the commitment of car and truck 
manufacturers to the widespread use of aluminum in vehicle bodies and 
parts in the interest of increasing fuel economy by lightweighting 
vehicles. As these vehicles are no longer in use, rather than being 
thrown on the scrap heap, they too can be recycled, thereby creating 
even more jobs.
  The aluminum industry is a major economic driver in my state and 
district. In recognition of America Recycles Day, it is appropriate to 
tip our hat to an industry that has such a positive influence on our 
nation's economy, and its people.

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