The aluminum industry enjoyed considerable stability in terms of demand and prices throughout the early 1970s. Since then, continuing economic fluctuations have become the norm. The world aluminum industry had a painful adjustment to the production of excess metal from Russia, but production and prices remain sensitive to events in the global marketplace. The U.S. aluminum industry employed more than 85,000 Americans in 1997, with an annual payroll of nearly $3.4 billion. In addition, around 62,000 Americans are employed in casting aluminum products. [DOC 1997, AA 1999].

The U.S. aluminum industry is the world's largest, accounting for 17% of the world's primary aluminum production in 1997 [AA 1998, 2000]. Production and shipments of primary aluminum have risen steadily since 1994. Imports of ingots and mill products rose 12.4% between 1998 and 1999; exports of the same rose 5.7% during the same time period. [AA 2000]

The aluminum industry spent over $1 billion in new capital expenditures in 1997 [DOC 1997]. It also spent in excess of $100 million for pollution control equipment in 1993 and 1994 combined, more than half of which was spent on air pollution control equipment [DOC 1994].