At America’s last alumina refinery, a trade war spells trade-offs

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But the new metal tariffs don’t cover alumina, and Hansen said his modest efforts to lobby Washington policymakers haven’t had much success. “It’s not like we’re Coca-Cola or something,” he said. “We don’t get that level of attention.” A White House spokesperson said the administration expects the aluminum tariffs to increase the nation’s production capacity for the critical metal, adding that its efforts to reduce energy costs and slash regulations would also boost the primary aluminum industry. After decades of offshoring some of the most energy-intensive parts of the alumina refining process, the United States makes far less of the...