The Roosevelt Project Phase 3: Case Studies on Iron and Steel, the Electric Grid, and Critical Minerals Synthesis Report

Introduction

The Roosevelt Project is a multi-year research initiative led by the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) in partnership with Harvard University. Launched in 2018, it set out to understand the economic and social challenges of deep decarbonization in the United States and to design policies that could support a just and durable energy transition. Named after three prominent Roosevelts in American history, Teddy (for his dedication to the environment), Franklin (for his signature New Deal), and Eleanor (for her social justice advocacy), the project examined how climate policies interact with industrial competitiveness, workforce opportunities, and regional development, with particular attention to communities historically dependent on fossil fuels or energy-intensive manufacturing. By combining technical, economic, and social science expertise, it has sought to identify practical pathways that could deliver emissions reductions while advancing equity and prosperity. 

The third phase of the Roosevelt Project built on this foundation by adopting a sectoral focus, concentrating on three areas of the economy that will be essential to a successful energy transition: the electric grid (perhaps the leading infrastructure needed for decarbonizing energy); iron and steel (an energy-intensive essential commodity); and critical minerals (currently irreplaceable ingredients for a number of clean energy technologies). In each of these sectors, persistent challenges— ranging from planning and permitting bottlenecks to global competition, capital investment barriers, and import dependencies—threaten to slow or reverse progress toward decarbonization. To evaluate these challenges and outline innovative policy solutions, the project featured case studies aimed at identifying the right balance of environmental priorities, social equity, and economic competitiveness, recognizing that a just transition would remain out of reach without policies that simultaneously advanced these goals. 

Since the Roosevelt Project originally launched to address these questions, the world has faced far-reaching shocks that have reshaped policy priorities. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains and heightened geopolitical tensions. China’s dominance in key areas of the global economy, underpinned by extensive state support and problematic trade practices, exacerbates concerns about the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and the need to secure reliable supplies of critical materials and components. Recent political priorities in the U.S. have increased barriers to international trade, precipitated shifts in international alliances, and injected significant policy uncertainty into energy transition investments. 

Taken together, these developments have reinforced the importance of U.S. business leadership in sustaining industrial competitiveness, diversifying supply chains, and ensuring affordable and reliable access to clean energy. Recent years have seen a growing role for government intervention in the economy, including a surge in industrial policies to support strategically important sectors. In the process, decades of liberalized trade and international business integration have given way to a more fragmented and contested global economy. The recommendations emerging from the Roosevelt Project reflected this evolving context, emphasizing the need for policies that link decarbonization to energy security, resilience, industrial strength, and social equity and workforce needs. 

Below are brief summaries of and recommendations from each sectoral study finalized during the third phase of the Roosevelt Project.