While the federal government prepares to eliminate a cornerstone clean manufacturing initiative, new polling shows the public is ready to move in the opposite direction.

A new national survey conducted by Ducker Carlisle for Industrious Labs found:

• 78% support the American steel industry transitioning to clean steel
• 76% of those who are neutral or support the clean steel transition support policies that provide federal or state funding to transition facilities to clean steel

The findings come at a moment when clean manufacturing faces major setbacks. The House Ways and Means Committee has proposed eliminating the 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, which would help make fossil-free hydrogen viable for clean steelmaking. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy’s Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP), including investments in steel, faces sweeping changes and cuts from the Trump administration. These programs were designed to work together to modernize U.S. manufacturing, slash pollution, and keep industrial jobs competitive in a global clean economy.

“Americans want clean steel. It’s that simple,” said Hilary Lewis, Steel Director at Industrious Labs. “Clean air, good jobs, and modern steel manufacturing are winning issues. Proposed cuts and changes to these programs and specific steel projects fly in the face of public opinion, and global markets.”

In 2024, OCED’s IDP program awarded $6 billion in cost-sharing grants to 33 projects across more than 20 states. Companies contributed another $14 billion in private investment. The goal was to deploy first-of-its-kind clean technology at commercial scale to keep U.S. manufacturing competitive while cutting emissions and creating jobs.

One of the projects at risk is Cleveland-Cliffs’ proposed retrofit of its Middletown, Ohio, coal-based steel facility. In their Q1 Earnings’ Call Thursday, the company said that they were making “substantial” changes to their plans to “better align with the administration’s energy priorities” by relying on fossil fuels.

The company has already started workforce planning and engineering design. Changing the project now could risk the 1,200 expected union construction jobs and 170 new permanent union jobs and air quality benefits in a region already burdened by decades of industrial pollution.

Pollution from the Middletown steel mill and its coke supplier, Suncoke Energy, contributes to an estimated 45 to 82 premature deaths, over 11,000 missed school and work days, and more than 26,000 cases of asthma symptoms and respiratory-related ER visits each year, according to a recent report by Industrious Labs. Together, these two facilities account for over half of Ohio’s total health impacts from steel and coke plant pollution, which contribute to an estimated $1.3 to $2.3 billion in health costs annually in the state. If fully implemented with green hydrogen, the upgrades promised by the original IDP grant would nearly eliminate both health and climate-harming pollution.

Despite these impacts, Rep. Warren Davidson, who represents Middletown, recently signed onto a letter with more than 30 House Republicans calling to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which made this planned investment possible.

###

About Industrious Labs

Industrious Labs is focused on scaling campaigns and building a movement to clean up heavy industry through network and capacity building, research and analysis, data-driven campaigns, and sharp communications.

About Ducker Carlisle

Ducker Carlisle is a global market research, strategy consulting and M&A advisory firm that helps many of the world’s largest companies and private equity firms optimize business performance and accelerate growth across complex markets. Founded in 1961 with offices across North America, Europe and Asia, the firm provides a unique continuum of services to deliver custom, industry-centric solutions enabling clients to maximize business results. For more information, visit Ducker Carlisle I Twitter I LinkedIn

About the Poll

The poll was conducted in March 2025 and included 1,251 participants across the U.S. who currently own or lease a car, or plan to in the next five years.