I want to thank you for your investment in U. S. Steel and the trust you have placed in the Board of Directors, as stewards of the Corporation. On behalf of the Board and 30,000 employees of our storied Corporation, I am proud to report that we have made significant progress on our strategic transformation in 2016, and we are beginning to see results reflecting our efforts.

We began a journey over three years ago to modernize U. S. Steel into a more agile and innovative organization for the 21^st century global steel industry. While that journey continues and we have much work to do, we made meaningful progress in 2016 and our performance reflected it with a stock price increase of 300%. Other performance achievements are summarized in the accompanying proxy statement.

We are structuring our transformation around a process we call the “Carnegie Way,” a disciplined strategic framework named in honor of our co-founder Andrew Carnegie, the visionary leader who founded U. S. Steel more than 115 years ago. We continue to honor Mr. Carnegie’s legacy today by executing our strategy and positioning the Corporation for continued long-term growth. A successful transformation also requires innovation, and we continue to prioritize our innovation efforts, particularly by cultivating collaborative relationships with our customers to develop the solutions they need and to create more opportunities for our business. The Carnegie Way permeates all aspects of our business from our corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh to our steel mills and operations around the world. We are implementing permanent improvements to enable the Corporation to succeed across the volatile business cycles of the evolving global steel industry.

We undertake our transformational efforts as part of an American steel industry that continues to face considerable macro-economic headwinds and unfair global steel trade practices. The persistent presence of low-cost and potentially inferior imports puts undue pressure on the American manufacturing sector and job market, and represents an unsustainable risk to not only our industry, but our national economy and infrastructure.

In addition to executing on our long-term organizational transformation, U. S. Steel continues to lead industry efforts to tackle the effects of unfairly traded steel. We are leveraging legislative, judicial and regulatory channels, as well as the

public arena. For example, in 2015 U. S. Steel along with other domestic steel producers filed three petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission. In 2016, we saw the successful resolution of those cases, as final determinations imposed duties of significant magnitude on the subject countries. In 2016, we also launched landmark legal action under Section 337 of the Tariff Act to further combat illegal conduct and circumvention of our trade laws. Our progress on this front enables U. S. Steel, and other American steel companies, to compete on a more level playing field with non-U.S. competitors.

Even as difficult conditions may persist, we recognize that we are in a better position today to respond to changing market conditions and we are encouraged by the improving performance of the Corporation. We continue to invest in our people. With employees at all levels working through our multi-level Carnegie Way training, we are enabling all of our workforce to complete projects delivering value to our stakeholders and improve our business. We remain steadfast in our commitment to becoming a consistently profitable company that conducts business in an ethical and sustainable way.

We encourage you to vote your shares on the proposals discussed in the accompanying proxy statement. Your involvement is important to the future of our company and our country.

Our journey continues.

Sincerely, Mario Longhi

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO STOCKHOLDERS OF UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION:  

You are invited to attend the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of United States Steel Corporation. If you plan to attend the meeting, please see the instructions contained in the attached proxy statement.

This proxy statement is provided in connection with a solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of United States Steel Corporation to be used at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 8:00 a.m., Eastern Time, and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held at the U. S. Steel Tower, 600 Grant Street, thirty-third floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. This proxy statement is first being provided to our stockholders on or about March 14, 2017. Throughout this proxy statement, “U. S. Steel,” the “Corporation,” “we,” “our,” or “us” are intended to refer to United States Steel Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless specifically indicated otherwise. You are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and we request that you vote on the proposals

described in this proxy statement as recommended by the Board of Directors. You do not need to attend the meeting to vote your shares. If you have received a printed copy of these materials by mail, you may complete, sign and return your proxy card, or submit your proxy vote by telephone or over the Internet. If you did not receive a printed copy of these materials by mail and are accessing them via the Internet, you may follow the instructions under the heading, “Questions and Answers About the Annual Meeting and Voting” beginning on page 66 of this proxy statement to submit your proxy vote via the Internet or by telephone. Also, other information about voting is provided under the heading, “Questions and Answers About the Annual Meeting and Voting.”

In 2014, U. S. Steel’s Board of Directors and stockholders approved the elimination of the classified board structure. The process to declassify the Board was phased out over a three-year period and will be complete as of the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. At the 2017 Annual Meeting, all twelve directors are up for election. Of the current directors nominated for election, three were previously Class I directors and nine were elected last year for a one-year term. Each nominee will be elected to serve until our next annual meeting of stockholders. All of the nominees are presently members of the Board of Directors. The Board is recommending that all twelve nominees be elected.

Except in the case of contested elections, each director nominee is elected if a majority of the votes are cast for that director’s election. The term “a majority of the votes cast” means that the number of votes cast “for” a director’s election exceeds the number of votes cast “against” the director’s election, with abstentions and broker non-votes not counted as votes cast either “for” or “against” the director’s election. A “contested election” is one in which the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected at the meeting.

If a nominee who is currently serving as a director is not re-elected, Delaware law provides that the director would continue to serve on the Board until the director’s successor is duly elected and qualified or until the director’s earlier resignation or removal. Under our by-laws, in order for any incumbent director to become a nominee for election by the stockholders as a director, that director must tender an irrevocable offer to resign from the Board of Directors, contingent upon acceptance of such offer of resignation by the Board of Directors, if the

director fails to receive a majority of the votes cast in an election that is not a contested election. If an incumbent director fails to receive a majority of the votes cast in an election that is not a contested election, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee, or such other independent committee designated by the Board of Directors, must make a recommendation to the Board of Directors as to whether to accept or reject the offer of resignation of the incumbent director, or to take other action.

The Board of Directors must act on the offer of resignation, taking into account the committee’s recommendation, within 90 days following certification of the election results. Each of the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee, in making its recommendation, and the Board of Directors, in making its decision, may consider such factors and other information as it may consider appropriate and relevant to the circumstances.

A brief statement about the background and qualifications of each nominee is provided on the following pages. No director has a familial relationship to any other director, nominee for director or executive officer. The independence of Board members and other information related to the Board of Directors is described under the heading, “Corporate Governance – Independence” in this proxy statement.

If any nominee for whom you have voted becomes unable to serve, your proxy may be voted for another person designated by the Board.

The Board recommends a vote “FOR” the election of each nominee.

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee is responsible for identifying nominees for election to the Board. The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee may consider nominees suggested by several sources, including outside search firms, incumbent Board members and stockholders.

As provided in its charter, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee seeks candidates with experience and abilities relevant to serving as a director of the Corporation and who will represent the best interests of stockholders as a whole, and not any specific interest group or constituency.

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee, with input from the Chairman of the Board and other directors, evaluates the qualifications of each director candidate in accordance with the criteria described in the director qualification standards section of our Corporate Governance Principles. In evaluating the qualifications of director nominees, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee considers factors including, but not limited to, the following:

Independence. Directors should neither have, nor appear to have, a conflict of interest that would impair the director’s ability to represent the interests of all the Corporation’s stakeholders and to fulfill the responsibilities of a director.

Commitment. Directors should be able to contribute the time necessary to be actively involved in the Board and its decision-making and should be able and willing to prepare for and attend Board and committee meetings.

Diversity. Though the Board does not have a formal policy regarding the consideration of diversity in identifying nominees for director, directors should be selected so that the Board represents diverse experience at various policy making and executive levels in business, government, education and in industries that are relevant to the Corporation’s business operations. The Board considers the term “diversity” to include differences of viewpoint, professional experience, education, skill and other individual qualities and attributes that contribute to board heterogeneity.

Experience. Directors should be or have been in leadership positions in their field of endeavor and have a record of excellence in that field.

Integrity. Directors should have a reputation of integrity and be of the highest ethical character.

Judgment. Directors should have the ability to exercise sound business judgment on a large number of matters.

Knowledge. Directors should have a firm understanding of business strategy, corporate governance and board operations and other relevant business matters.

Skills. Directors should be selected so that the Board has an appropriate mix of skills in critical core areas, including, but not limited to: accounting, compensation, finance, government relations, legal, management, risk oversight and strategic planning.

These director qualification standards are evaluated by the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee each time a new candidate is considered for Board membership. The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee and the Board may take into account such other factors they consider to be relevant to the success of a publicly traded company operating in the steel industry. As part of the annual nomination process, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee reviews the qualifications of each director nominee, including currently serving Board members, and reports its findings to the Board. On February 27, 2017, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee determined that each Board member satisfied the director qualification standards and advised the Board that each of the director nominees listed under “Proposal 1: Election of Directors” was qualified to serve on the Board.

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee will consider director nominees recommended by stockholders. Notice of such recommendation should be sent in writing to the Chair of the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee, c/o the Corporate Secretary of United States Steel Corporation, 600 Grant Street, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The recommendation must include: (i) the candidate’s name, address, occupation and share ownership; (ii) any other biographical information that will enable the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee to evaluate the candidate in light of the criteria described above; and (iii) information concerning any relationship between the candidate and the stockholder making the recommendation. The recommendation must also identify the writer as a

stockholder of the Corporation and provide sufficient detail for the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee to consider the recommended individual’s qualifications. The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee will evaluate the qualifications of candidates recommended by stockholders using the same criteria as used for other Board candidates.

Under the collective bargaining agreement with the United Steelworkers (the “USW”), the USW has the ability to recommend up to two individuals to be considered for Board membership. The agreement recognizes that every director has a fiduciary duty to the Corporation and all of its stockholders, and that each individual recommended by the USW must meet the criteria described above.

For purposes of the upcoming annual meeting, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee has recommended the election of each nominee as a director. Each nominee has informed the Board that he or she is willing to serve as a director. If any nominee should decline or become unable or unavailable to serve as a director for any reason, your proxy authorizes the persons named in the proxy to vote for a replacement nominee, if the Board names one, as such persons determine in their best judgment.

It is the intention of the proxyholders to vote proxies for the election of the nominees named in this proxy statement, unless such authority is withheld.

The following is a brief description of the age, principal occupation, position and business experience, including other public company directorships, for at least the past five years, and major affiliations of each of the nominees. Each nominee’s biographical information includes a description of the director’s experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that qualify him or her to serve on the Board.

Corporate governance is a continuing focus at U. S. Steel, embraced by the Board of Directors, management, and all employees. The Corporation has a long and rich tradition relating to corporate governance and public company disclosure. For example, U. S. Steel was one of the first publicly traded

companies in United States history to hold an annual meeting of stockholders and to publish an annual report.

In this section, we describe some of our key governance policies and practices.

U. S. Steel is committed to maintaining the highest standards of corporate governance and ethical conduct which we believe are essential for sustained success and long-term stockholder value. In light of this goal, the Board oversees, counsels and directs management in the long-term interests of the Corporation, its stockholders and its customers. Our governance framework gives our highly experienced directors the structure necessary to provide oversight, advice and counsel to U. S. Steel. The Board’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

The Board discharges its responsibilities through regularly scheduled meetings as well as through telephonic meetings, actions by written consent and other communications with management as appropriate. U. S. Steel expects directors to attend all meetings of the Board and the Board committees

upon which they serve, and all annual meetings of the Corporation’s stockholders. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the Board held seven meetings and all of the directors attended in excess of 75 percent of the meetings of the Board and the committees on which they served. All of the directors attended the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The Board has long adhered to governance principles designed to assure excellence in the execution of its duties and regularly reviews the Corporation’s governance policies and practices. These principles are outlined in our Corporate Governance Principles, which in conjunction with our certificate of incorporation, by-laws, Board committee charters and related policies, form the framework for the effective governance of the Corporation.

The full text of the Corporate Governance Principles, by-laws, the charters for each of the Board committees, and the Corporation’s Code of Ethical Business Conduct are available on the Corporation’s website, www.ussteel.com. These materials are also available in print to any person, without charge, upon written request to:

Corporate Secretary
United States Steel Corporation
600 Grant Street, Suite 1500

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

The Board regularly considers the appropriate leadership structure for the Corporation. It has concluded that the Corporation and its stockholders are best served by the Board retaining discretion to determine whether the same individual should serve as both Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, or whether the Chairman of the Board should be an independent director. The Board believes that it is important to retain the flexibility to make this determination at any given point in time based on what it believes will provide the best leadership structure for the Corporation, taking into account the needs of the Corporation at that time. Due to the high level of transition in the Corporation’s executive leadership and the dynamic business environment in 2013 and 2014, the Board chose to implement a non-executive, independent Chairman role in January 2014 to allow the Chief Executive Officer to strategically focus on the associated business challenges. David S. Sutherland currently serves as the independent Chairman of the Board.

If the Chairman of the Board is not independent, the independent directors annually elect from among themselves a

Lead Director. If the Chairman of the Board is independent, the Chairman’s duties also include the duties of the Lead Director. The duties of the Lead Director are as follows:

Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and discussing the Corporation’s policies with respect to the assessment of risks and risk management, including the following:

The Corporation’s Internal Audit group provides regular reports to the Audit Committee on the results of various internal audit projects and provides recommendations for the enhancement of operational functions in order to reduce certain risks. Although the Audit Committee has primary responsibility for overseeing risk management, each of our other Board committees also considers the risks within their specific areas of responsibility. For example, the charter of the Compensation & Organization Committee gives it responsibility for assessing whether the Corporation’s compensation and organization policies and practices for executives and non-executives are reasonably likely to create a risk that could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation. Pursuant to its charter, the Corporate Governance &

Public Policy Committee considers the risks associated with legislative, regulatory and public policy issues affecting the Corporation’s businesses and operations. Each committee regularly reports to the full Board on their respective activities, including, when appropriate, those activities related to risk assessment and risk management oversight.

The Board, as a whole, also considers risk assessment and risk management. For example, the Board annually reviews the Corporation’s strategic plan which includes a review of risks related to: safety, environmental, operating and competitive matters; political and regulatory issues; employee and labor issues; and financial results and projections. Management regularly provides updates to the Board related to legal and compliance risks and cyber-security matters.

The Chief Risk Officer is responsible for the Corporation’s financial and business risk management, including the assessment, analysis and monitoring of business risk and opportunities and the identification of strategies for managing risk. The Chief Risk Officer provides regular reports to the Audit Committee and Board of Directors on these matters.

The Corporation believes that its leadership structure, as described above, supports the Board’s role in risk oversight.

Our Board and management consider succession planning and people development to be an integral part of the Corporation’s long-term strategy. The Compensation & Organization Committee is responsible for monitoring our management succession and development plans and receives regular updates on employee engagement, diversity and retention matters, which are reported to the full Board. At least twice annually, our full Board reviews senior management

succession and development plans with our CEO. Our CEO then presents to the independent directors his evaluations and recommendation of future candidates for the CEO position and other senior leadership roles and potential succession timing for those positions, including under emergency circumstances. The Board also reviews and discusses development plans for individuals identified as high-potential candidates for senior leadership positions.

Our Board maintains a robust process in which the members focus on identifying, considering and evaluating potential board candidates. Our Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee leads this process by considering prospective candidates at its meetings. In identifying appropriate candidates through a thoughtful evaluation, supported by its outside consultants, the committee is focused on aligning the skills, experience and characteristics of our Board with the strategic development of the company. Among other things, the members aim to strike a balance between the knowledge that comes from longer-term service on the Board with the fresh insights that can come from adding new members to the Board. The following shows our board refreshment process:

Identification of Candidates

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee reviews candidates identified by an independent search firm or recommended by our directors, officers or stockholders, taking

into consideration the qualifications and requirements outlined in our Corporate Governance Principles, as well as the skills and experience already represented on the Board.

Assessment and Interviews

The committee seeks input from other Board members and senior management to evaluate nominees for director and interviews appropriate candidates to confirm their qualifications, interest and availability for Board service.

Nomination and Election

Upon a recommendation from the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee, the Board determines whether to elect a director candidate and optimal committee placement.

Onboarding

We conduct a comprehensive onboarding process for new directors, including site visits, to provide an understanding of our business, opportunities and challenges.

Each year, the Board conducts annual self-evaluations to determine whether it and its committees are functioning effectively and whether its governing documents continue to remain appropriate. Our Board’s self-evaluation is facilitated by a wide range of questions related to topics including operations, composition of the board, responsibilities, governing documents and resources. The Board evaluation also includes an assessment of whether the Board (i) has the appropriate mix of skills, experience and other characteristics, including those

described earlier, and (ii) is made up of a sufficiently diverse group of people. The process is designed and overseen by the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee, and the results of the evaluations are discussed by the full Board.

Each committee, other than the Executive Committee, annually reviews its own performance and reports the results and any recommendations to the Board.

The following non-employee directors are independent within the definitions of independence of both the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) listing standards and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) standards for Audit Committee members: Patricia Diaz Dennis, Dan O. Dinges, John G. Drosdick, John J. Engel, Murry S. Gerber, Stephen J. Girsky, Paul A. Mascarenas, Glenda G. McNeal, Robert J. Stevens, David S. Sutherland and Patricia A. Tracey. The Corporation has incorporated the NYSE and SEC independence standards into its own categorical standards for independence. The Board has affirmatively determined that none of the directors or nominees for director, other than Mr. Longhi, has a material relationship with the Corporation. The Board made such determination based on all relevant facts and circumstances.

In making its determination of director independence, the Board of Directors considered the fact that U. S. Steel purchased certain goods and services from WESCO International, Inc. (WESCO) in 2016. Mr. Engel is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of WESCO. The Board determined that Mr. Engel did not have a direct or indirect material interest in these transactions and that the transactions were undertaken in the ordinary course of business. In addition, the value of materials purchased by U. S. Steel in 2016 was less than 2% of WESCO’s annual gross revenues. As a result, the Board concluded that these transactions would not affect Mr. Engel’s independence.

Additionally, the Board considered the fact that U. S. Steel indirectly sold products to Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (“Cabot”) in 2016. Mr. Dinges is the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cabot. The Board determined that Mr. Dinges did not have a direct or indirect material interest in these transactions and that the transactions were undertaken in the ordinary course of business, and that the products sold by U. S. Steel were less than 2% of Cabot’s annual gross revenues. Accordingly, the Board concluded that these transactions would not affect Mr. Dinges’ independence.

The Board affirmatively determined that each member of the Audit Committee: (i) did not accept directly or indirectly any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) was not an affiliated person of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, and therefore (iii) satisfied the NYSE’s enhanced independence standards for audit committee members.

The Board also determined that: (i) no member of the Compensation & Organization Committee has a relationship to the Corporation which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, and (ii) each member of the Compensation & Organization Committee therefore satisfies the independence requirements of NYSE listing standards.

Under our by-laws and the general corporation law of the State of Delaware, U. S. Steel’s state of incorporation, the business and affairs of U. S. Steel are managed under the direction of the Board of Directors. The non-employee directors hold regularly scheduled executive sessions without management. The directors spend considerable time preparing for Board and committee meetings.

The Board has three principal committees, each of which is comprised exclusively of independent directors: (i) the Audit

Committee; (ii) the Compensation & Organization Committee; and (iii) the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee.

Each of these committees has a written charter adopted by the Board, which are available on the Corporation’s website (www.ussteel.com). The committee charters are regularly reviewed and updated to incorporate best practices and prevailing governance trends.

Each committee may in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of outside advisers, including any consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser, at the Corporation’s expense to assist the committee in fulfilling its duties and

responsibilities. The Board also has an Executive Committee consisting of Messrs. Sutherland and Longhi. The Executive Committee acts on, and reports to the Board on, matters that arise between Board meetings.

Pursuant to its charter, the Audit Committee’s duties and responsibilities include:

The charter requires the Audit Committee to perform an annual self-evaluation, review its charter each year and meet at least five times each year. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the Audit Committee held five meetings.

The Audit Committee annually requests PwC to prepare a self-assessment utilizing the Center for Audit Quality, External Auditor Assessment Tool. This best practice assists the Audit Committee in its oversight role and annual evaluation of PwC to assess the quality of the audit and to recommend the retention of PwC. Based on this assessment, we believe the quality of PwC’s services, communication and interaction with the Audit Committee is of a high standard.

The charter also requires the Audit Committee to be comprised of at least three directors, each of whom is independent and financially literate, and at least one of whom must have accounting or related financial management expertise. Under the charter, no director who serves on the audit committees of more than two other public companies may serve on the Audit Committee, unless the Board determines that such simultaneous service will not impair the ability of such director to effectively serve on the Audit Committee. No member of the Audit Committee serves on the audit committees of more than two other publicly traded companies. The Board has determined that John J. Engel, the Committee’s chairman, Dan O. Dinges, Murry S. Gerber, Stephen J. Girsky and David S. Sutherland meet the SEC’s definition of audit committee financial expert.

Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation & Organization Committee’s duties and responsibilities include:

The Compensation & Organization Committee has retained Pay Governance, LLC as its consultant to assist it in evaluating executive compensation. The consultant reports directly to the Compensation & Organization Committee. The Compensation & Organization Committee retains sole authority to hire the consultant, approve its compensation, determine the nature and scope of its services, evaluate its performance, and terminate its engagement. A representative of the consultant attended all meetings of the Compensation & Organization Committee in 2016.

The consultant provides various executive compensation services to the Compensation & Organization Committee, which generally include advising the Compensation & Organization Committee on the principal aspects of our executive compensation program and changing industry practices and providing market information and analysis regarding the competitiveness of our program design and our award values in relationship to their performance.

During 2016, the consultant performed the following specific services:

The consultant provided no services to management during 2016.

The Compensation & Organization Committee has assessed the independence of the consultant pursuant to the NYSE listing standards and SEC rules and concluded that no conflict of interest exists that would prevent the consultant from serving as an independent consultant to the Compensation & Organization Committee.

The Compensation & Organization Committee also obtains input from the CEO with regard to compensation for other executives.

Our CEO recommends the level of base salary increase (if any), the annual incentive award, and the long-term incentive award value for all of our executive officers, including the other named executive officers (other than himself). These recommendations are based upon his assessment of each executive officer’s performance, the performance of the individual’s respective business or function, and employee retention considerations. The Compensation & Organization Committee reviews the CEO’s recommendations and approves any compensation changes affecting our Section 16 executive officers.

The Compensation & Organization Committee’s charter requires the committee to perform a self-evaluation and charter review annually. The charter also requires that the committee be comprised of at least three directors, each of whom is independent.

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the Compensation & Organization Committee held six meetings. Committee agendas are established in consultation among management, the Committee chair and the Compensation & Organization Committee’s independent compensation consultant. The Compensation & Organization Committee meets in executive session without management for at least a portion of each regular meeting.

In 2016, the Compensation & Organization Committee considered reports and analysis that it had requested of management and its independent consultant concerning risks associated with the Corporation’s compensation and organization policies and practices.

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee serves as the Corporation’s governance and nominating committee. Pursuant to its charter, the duties and responsibilities of this committee include:

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee’s charter gives the committee the sole authority to retain and terminate any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, including sole authority to approve the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.

Under the charter, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee must: (i) be comprised of at least three directors, each of whom is independent, and (ii) perform a self-evaluation and charter review annually. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee held six meetings.

Our Corporate Governance Principles require any non-employee director to retire at the first annual meeting of stockholders after he or she reaches the age of 74, however, the Board can grant exceptions to this policy on a case-by-case basis.

Each employee director must retire from the Board when he or she ceases to be an executive officer of the Corporation, except that the Chief Executive Officer may remain on the Board after retirement as an employee, at the Board’s request, through the last day of the month in which he or she turns 70.

Our Corporate Governance Principles also provide that directors who undergo a significant change in their business or professional careers shall volunteer to resign from the Board. In 2016, Ms. Tracey retired from her position at HP Enterprise Services and submitted an offer to resign from our Board in accordance with the provisions of our Corporate Governance Principles. The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee determined that Ms. Tracey’s change in status did not impact her qualifications to serve on the Board and recommended that the Board reject her offer of resiganation. After consideration, the Board approved that recommendation and agreed to reject her offer of resignation.

Our Corporate Governance Principles provide that each non-employee director shall be paid compensation as the Board may determine from time to time. Directors who are employees of U. S. Steel receive no compensation for their service on the Board.

The objective of U. S. Steel’s director compensation programs is to enable the Corporation to attract and retain as directors individuals of substantial accomplishment with demonstrated leadership capabilities. In order to align the interests of directors with the interests of stockholders, our non-employee directors participate in the Deferred Compensation Program for Non-Employee Directors and the Non-Employee Director Stock Program, each of which is described below.

For 2016, Non-employee directors were paid an annual retainer fee of $200,000. Committee Chairs and the Chairman of the Board were paid an additional annual fee of $20,000 and $50,000, respectively. No meeting fees or committee membership fees are paid.

Under our Deferred Compensation Program for Non-Employee Directors, each non-employee director is required to defer at least 50% of his or her retainer in the form of Common Stock Units and may elect to defer up to 100%. A Common Stock Unit is what is sometimes referred to as “phantom stock” because initially no stock is actually issued. Instead, we keep a book entry account for each director that shows how many Common Stock Units he or she has. When a director leaves the Board, he or she receives actual shares of common stock corresponding to the number of Common Stock Units in his or her account. The ongoing value of each Common Stock Unit equals the market price of the common stock. When dividends are paid on the common stock, we credit each account with equivalent amounts in additional Common Stock Units. If U. S. Steel were to undergo a change in control resulting in the removal of

a non-employee director from the Board, that director would receive a cash payment equal to the value of his or her deferred stock account.

Under our Non-Employee Director Stock Program, upon joining our Board, each non-employee director is eligible to receive a grant of up to 1,000 shares of common stock. In order to qualify, each director must first have purchased an equivalent number of shares in the open market during the 60 days following the first date of his or her service on the Board.

The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee reviews and sets director compensation on a semi-annual basis. In 2016, The committee reviewed information and recommendations from Pay Governance, an independent compensation consultant, for the same comparator group of 24 companies the Compensation & Organization Committee uses for determining compensation for our executives as well as for a larger general comparator group of 151 companies in a similar revenue range as the Corporation. After reviewing the information presented by Pay Governance, as well as other public information on the topic, the committee determined that the plan design was consistent with market trends, but that the amount of our directors’ annual base retainer, which was set in 2011, was below the 25^th percentile and significantly below the 50^th percentile of both comparator groups. The Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee determined to increase the annual director compensation retainer to $240,000 beginning in 2017, in order to align the compensation level with the median of both comparator groups. No increase was made to the additional amounts paid to the board chair or to committee chairs.

The following table sets forth certain information concerning the compensation of non-employee directors in 2016:

The Board has adopted stock ownership and holding requirements for executive officers. These requirements are described under the caption “A Culture of Ownership” in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of this proxy statement.

Non-employee directors are required to hold equity interests in the Corporation in the form of stock-based deferred compensation. This requirement is a part of our Corporate Governance Principles. Each non-employee director is required to defer at least 50% of his or her annual retainer as stock-based compensation under the Deferred Compensation Program for Non-Employee Directors. Amounts deferred are credited to the director’s deferred stock account in the form of Common Stock Units. No amounts are paid to the director from the deferred stock account until the director leaves the Board, at which time he or she receives actual shares of common stock

corresponding to the number of Common Stock Units in his or her account. The Board and management believe that such deferral, by continually building each director’s equity interest in the Corporation, provides a meaningful continued interest in the Corporation that is tied to the stockholders’ interest because the stock issued upon a director’s departure from the Board reflects all changes in the market value of U. S. Steel common stock from the date of deferral. Each non-employee director is in compliance with the requirement described in this paragraph.

The following table sets forth the number of shares of U. S. Steel common stock beneficially owned as of February 27, 2017 by each director and director nominee, by each executive officer named in the Summary Compensation Table and by all directors and executive officers as a group. No director or executive officer beneficially owned, as of the applicable date, any equity securities of U. S. Steel other than those shown.

Stockholders and interested parties may send communications through the Secretary of the Corporation to the: (1) Board, (2) Committee Chairs, (3) Chairman of the Board, or (4) outside directors as a group. The Secretary will collect, organize and forward to the directors all communications that are appropriate for consideration by the directors. Examples of communications that would not be considered appropriate for consideration

by the directors include solicitations for products or services, employment matters, and matters not relevant to stockholders generally, to the functioning of the Board, or to the affairs of the Corporation. The Secretary of the Corporation may be contacted at: Corporate Secretary, United States Steel Corporation, 600 Grant Street, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

The Board of Directors of the Corporation has adopted a written policy that requires certain transactions with related persons to be approved or ratified by its Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee. For purposes of this policy, related persons include: (i) any person who is, or at any time since the beginning of the Corporation’s last fiscal year was, a director or executive officer of the Corporation or a nominee to become a director of the Corporation; (ii) any person who is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of the Corporation’s voting securities; and (iii) any immediate family member of any person described in (i) or (ii). The types of transactions that are subject to this policy are transactions, arrangements or relationships (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which the Corporation, or any of its subsidiaries, was, is or will be a participant and in which any related person had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest and the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000. The standards applied by the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee when reviewing transactions with related persons include: (a) the benefits to the Corporation of the transaction; (b) the terms and conditions of the transaction and whether such terms and conditions are comparable to the terms available to an unrelated third party or to employees generally; and (c) the potential for the transaction to affect the independence or judgment of a director or executive officer of the Corporation. Under the policy, certain transactions are deemed to be automatically pre-approved and do not need

to be brought to the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee for individual approval. The transactions which are automatically pre-approved include: (i) transactions involving compensation to directors and executive officers of the type that is required to be reported in the Corporation’s proxy statement; (ii) indebtedness for ordinary business travel and expense payments; (iii) transactions with another company at which a related person’s only relationship is as an employee (other than an executive officer), a director or beneficial owner of less than 10 percent of any class of equity securities of that company, provided that the amount involved does not exceed the greater of $1,000,000 or 2% of that company’s consolidated gross annual revenues; (iv) transactions where the interest of the related person arises solely from the ownership of a class of equity securities of the Corporation, and all holders of that class of equity securities receive the same benefit on a pro rata basis; (v) transactions where the rates or charges involved are determined by competitive bid; (vi) transactions involving the rendering of services as a common or contract carrier or public utility at rates or charges fixed in conformity with law or governmental regulation; and (vii) transactions involving services as a bank depositary of funds, transfer agent, registrar, trustee under a trust indenture or similar services.

There were no transactions that required approval of the Corporate Governance & Public Policy Committee under this policy during 2016.

Under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, our directors and executive officers and persons holding more than ten percent of any class of our equity securities, are required to file with the SEC initial reports of their ownership of our common stock and reports of changes in such ownership. To our

knowledge, based on information furnished to us, there were no late filings by any U. S. Steel directors, executive officers or other persons subject to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 required to be disclosed in this proxy statement.

At the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, approximately 79% of the votes cast were “For” our advisory vote on executive compensation. We value the feedback we receive from regular engagement with our stockholders, and are encouraged by the positive support we have received over the past several years for our compensation program and recognition of our responsiveness to stockholders. In April 2016, we contacted stockholders representing more than 50% of our outstanding stock and held telephonic meetings with stockholders holding approximately 25%. These discussions, held prior to our annual meeting, were focused primarily on how our compensation program aligns with our strategy and company performance. In November and December 2016, we contacted stockholders representing

approximately 40% of our outstanding stock, and meetings were accepted by those representing approximately 15%. All of the stockholders provided positive feedback regarding recent changes to our executive compensation program and support the pay-for-performance nature of our compensation program. The Compensation & Organization Committee considered this feedback when reviewing the incentive compensation programs for 2017.

In considering this advisory vote, we encourage you to read the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and other relevant information in this proxy statement for additional details on our executive compensation programs and the 2016 compensation paid to our named executive officers.

The Compensation & Organization Committee of the Board of Directors of the Corporation has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management. Based on such review and discussion, the Compensation & Organization Committee recommended to the Board that

the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and incorporated by reference into the Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2016.

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) contains a discussion of the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to the Corporation’s “Named Executive

Officers” (“NEOs”), including our principal executive officer, the principal financial officer, and the next three most highly compensated executive officers of U. S. Steel in 2016. The titles of executives used in this CD&A reflect the title of each executive during 2016.

The Carnegie Way: Earning the Right to Grow and Driving Sustainable Profitable Growth

2016 Highlights and Accomplishments

Maintaining Pay-for-Performance Approach through Industry Cycles

Variable, at-risk compensation accounted for 73% of our CEO’s target compensation in 2016. Based on this strong pay-for-performance alignment, realizable compensation for our CEO over the last three years is 37% above the target value granted during the period. Notable aspects of CEO compensation include: (i) the long-term performance awards paid out twice in the last three performance periods, averaging 42% of target; and (ii) the average three-year payout under the annual incentive compensation plan for our CEO is 139% of target, with no payout in 2015.

Compensation Elements

The following table highlights the key elements of our performance-based compensation structure. Goals for each incentive component are set at the beginning of the performance period for the entire period and above market performance is required for the target payout to be made under the relative TSR metric.

Compensation Decisions and Outcomes Demonstrate Alignment with Performance

The following table illustrates how our performance has affected the payout of our short-term incentives and how the performance of our common stock affects the value of the long-term incentives that would be received by our Chief Executive Officer based on our closing stock price of $33.01 on December 30, 2016:

CEO Realizable Pay

Three-Year (2014 - 2016) Aggregate CEO Compensation

Changes to Compensation Program

Commitment to Stockholder Engagement on Executive Compensation

In 2016, the Corporation engaged with its largest stockholders both during and outside the proxy season. In April 2016, we contacted stockholders representing more than 50% of our outstanding stock and held telephonic meetings with stockholders holding approximately 25%. These discussions, held prior to our annual meeting, were focused primarily on how our compensation program aligns with our strategy and company performance. In November and December 2016, we contacted stockholders representing approximately 40% of our outstanding stock, and meetings were accepted by those representing approximately 15%. Many of our stockholders indicated they did not believe a call was necessary and support our compensation and governance practices.

Compensation Governance Practices

Our compensation program is designed to promote exceptional performance and align the interests of our executives with the interests of our stockholders while discouraging executives from excessive risk-taking. Our executive compensation is directly aligned with company performance and measurable financial metrics.

	Considers the results of the most recent say-on-pay advisory vote by stockholders and has implemented proactive communications with stockholders to gain input and feedback when making executive compensation decisions
	Undertakes a goal setting process that is used to arrive at rigorous short-term and long-term performance goals under our incentive plans that are aligned to key corporate strategic and financial goals
	Engages in and leads a robust CEO performance evaluation process
	Engages and consults with its own independent compensation consultant
	Has established formal selection criteria for the executive compensation and relative TSR peer groups and annually reviews peer group composition
	Annually reviews tally sheets analyzing executive compensation levels and structures, including amounts payable in various termination scenarios
	Annually reviews the risks associated with our compensation programs and has implemented various risk mitigating practices and policies, such as:

	Our Change in Control Severance Plan establishes a “double trigger,” requiring participants to be terminated without “cause,” or voluntarily “for good reason” following a change in control prior to receipt of any payment of severance benefits
	Maintains a “clawback” policy that applies to executive officers and provides for the recoupment of incentive awards under certain conditions in the event the Corporation’s financial statements are restated
	Maintains Anti-Hedging and Pledging Policies that prohibit all employees and directors from engaging in any transaction that is designed to hedge or offset any decrease in our stock price and prohibits executive officers and directors from pledging our stock as collateral for a loan or holding shares in a margin account
	No payment of tax gross-ups to any executives for any payments relating to a change in control

Our executive compensation program is designed to attract, reward and retain executives who make significant contributions through operational and financial achievement aligned with the goals and philosophy of our Carnegie Way transformation

and the long-term interests of stockholders. The following five principles support these objectives and guide the design of our compensation program:

The purpose of our Annual Incentive Compensation Plan (AICP) is to align our executive officers’ compensation with the achievement of annual performance goals that support our business strategy. Typically, the short-term incentive awards are paid in cash, but the Committee retains discretion to provide the award in cash, stock, or a combination of both.

The AICP is designed to focus executives primarily on cash generation and profitability. It is funded each year based on the

achievement of a pre-determined net sales performance goal, and once funded, actual amounts earned are based on the achievement of cash flow and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) performance measures. Final awards may be increased or decreased based on individual performance. The Committee determined that cash flow and EBITDA were the appropriate measures to drive the transformation required to achieve our goal of sustainable profitability.

In setting the goals under the AICP for 2016, the Committee considered the Corporation’s performance over the past five years, the business plan for the year, industry performance, and the Corporation’s business transformation efforts. In general, the maximum performance goals were set at an amount that would require the Corporation to achieve a substantial level of Carnegie Way benefits and at a level that would generate sufficient earnings to pay the incremental cost of the incentive payments while

maintaining an equivalent amount of cash on the Corporation’s balance sheet. The goals were considered a significant stretch given the challenging market conditions impacting the Corporation when the goals were set in early 2016.

In addition to determining individual targets, the Committee approved EBITDA goals for each NEO. For the CEO, CFO and general counsel, the EBITDA goal is based on the total company

results, which generally measures the operational results of all business segments. For executives assigned to a specific segment, the EBITDA goal is 50% based on the EBITDA goal for that segment and 50% based on total company EBITDA (for Messrs. Matthews and Bruno, this was the Flat-Rolled segment). This segment allocation of the EBITDA goal is intended to create stronger corporate, business segment and individual accountability by tying an executive’s award to the performance of the segments for which he or she is directly responsible.

We concluded 2016 with a total of $10.3 billion in net sales, therefore the award pool was funded for 2016 because the net sales goal of $7 billion was achieved. The payout rate (prior to adjustment for individual performance) was determined based on achievement of the performance measures described in the table below. This payout rate demonstrates the performance alignment design of our plan. The 2016 payout under the annual incentive compensation plan averaged 209% of target for our NEOs, and the average payout for our NEOs over the last three years is 137% of target (in each case, including adjustments made for individual performance).

In determining the CEO’s annual incentive, the Committee considers, among other things, the CEO’s individual performance in delivering results for the established value creation drivers of profitability, customer focus, operational excellence and high performing organization. The CEO’s individual performance objectives are reviewed by the Committee and approved by the Board. A similar evaluation is performed by the CEO with respect to all other executive officers using similar measures and objectives. The Committee sets performance goals for each annual period based on expected business results for the upcoming year, which are intended to be challenging stretch goals. The Committee uses its business judgment in reviewing each of these individual items and does not assign specific quantitative weighting to such items.

The following provides a brief summary of each NEO’s individual performance and contribution to the Corporation in 2016:

Mario Longhi – Mr. Longhi provided superior leadership of the Corporation’s transformation efforts through ongoing implementation and application of the Carnegie Way method as the disciplined and structured approach for improving business performance. The Corporation exceeded the 2016 business plan by delivering significant benefits from our strategic imperatives of working capital improvements, incremental Carnegie Way benefits, financial flexibility and profitability priorities. Mr. Longhi also set the tone for dedicated commitment to the Corporation’s long-standing core values, including safety, and developed and implemented a revised Corporate Safety Steering Team to ensure safety is fully integrated into overall business decisions. In 2016 the Corporation’s OSHA Recordable Injury and Days Away from Work rates were significantly better than the Bureau of Labor Statistics and American Iron and Steel Institute industry

benchmarks. In addition, Mr. Longhi continued his efforts to strengthen relationships with federal, state and local decision makers and served as a zealous advocate for the steel industry during the negotiation and consideration of essential trade legislation and the Corporation’s trade cases in front of the U.S. International Trade Commission. Mr. Longhi continued to provide strong strategic leadership to develop the Corporation’s focus on the customer through disciplined concentration on quality, delivery performance and creating customer value through strategic choices. Mr. Longhi also enhanced the overall performance of the organization by attracting, retaining, and developing top talent through improved Carnegie Way leadership training, targeted retention programs, and a continued focus on talent differentiation and diversity.

David Burritt – Mr. Burritt provided outstanding leadership in all of U. S. Steel’s strategic and financial matters, including those relating to Finance, Strategy & Transformation, Revenue Management, North American Flat-Rolled Commercial Entities, Procurement & Supply Chain, Information Technology, Human Resources, Investor Relations, and Corporate Communications. Mr. Burritt led the design, development and deployment of the corporate strategic imperatives, which along with a greater cash consciousness, were prioritized to improve the Corporation’s balance sheet. Under his leadership, the Corporation successfully mitigated its debt risk through a $980 million debt offering, attained additional capital to invest in the Corporation’s assets through a $500 million public equity offering, and improved the funding of the pension plan by contributing $100 million of common stock. Mr. Burritt led efforts to increased cash-positive market share by attracting and retaining higher-value customers. Mr. Burritt set rigorous processes and

protocols to not only support high integrity financial reporting, but also to drive Carnegie Way benefits and make timely and effective decisions around cost, revenue and staffing to achieve timeless improvements on structural and operating costs. Through Mr. Burritt’s financial and strategic leadership, the Corporation achieved positive operating cash flow of $727 million and positive adjusted EBITDA of $510 million for the year, significant increases from 2015 despite lower average realized prices and lower revenue for the year.

Suzanne R. Folsom – Ms. Folsom provided exceptional leadership to Legal, Compliance, Government Affairs, International Trade and Public Policy, Environmental Affairs, Corporate Security, Aircraft, Real Estate, Labor Relations, and U. S. Steel’s joint ventures. Ms. Folsom led several strategic initiatives this year, including: achieving success in the steel industry’s trade cases in the United States; filing the unprecedented Section 337 complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking an investigation into the trade practices of the largest Chinese steel producers; leading the successful public policy efforts to address global overcapacity and the illegal trade practices that have wreaked havoc in the American steel market, threatening our national economic health and our national security; successfully achieving resolution and ratification for the successor collective bargaining agreements with the United Steelworkers; guiding continuing efforts towards a resolution for the complex Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) process for U. S. Steel’s unprofitable Canadian subsidiary; and providing sage legal counsel on a number of significant strategic corporate matters. Ms. Folsom is a crucial member of the executive management team who not only provides superior legal and compliance advice and strategy, but also business acumen and analysis to ensure that the Corporation operates with proper protocols, practices and controls to meet global business requirements, mitigate risk and create value for its stakeholders.

Douglas Matthews – Mr. Matthews led the North American Flat-Rolled Industrial, Service Center and Mining Solutions commercial entity in 2016. Through his continued successful implementation of Carnegie Way methodology into our largest operating segment, Mr. Matthews realized a significant per ton cost improvement in 2016. Operations led by Mr. Matthews also meaningfully improved process quality, and mining operation production costs. By providing steel-making expertise and deep industry knowledge, Mr. Matthews also played a critical role in the successful final determination hearings with the U.S. International Trade Commission for the three flat-roll trade cases. In addition, Mr. Matthews led the business related aspects of the successful negotiation of three-year collective bargaining agreements with the United Steelworkers that were ratified in early 2016. Mr. Matthews’ ability to maintain collaborative relationships with his peers, customers and union contacts benefit the Corporation in all aspects of operations.

James Bruno – Mr. Bruno led the North American Flat-Rolled Automotive Solutions commercial entity in 2016, and also provided leadership over the Corporation’s innovation program. In this role, he used the Carnegie Way to improve delivery of products to our automotive customers to the highest level in the past five years and quality performance to the best level in two years. Under Mr. Bruno’s leadership, Automotive Solutions exceeded its annual goal for growth of advanced high strength steel products, and saw the first shipments of production orders of Gen3 steels. Mr. Bruno also oversaw improvements in working capital for the second consecutive year and a five-year production high for our Great Lakes Works facility. Mr. Bruno also implemented a best in class strategic asset management program. Mr. Bruno’s industry knowledge and detail focused leadership has strengthened the Corporation’s long-term partnerships in the automotive industry.

Equity awards under the long-term incentive program (LTIP) are allocated among:

The Committee believes that these three long-term incentive vehicles best accomplish the objectives of aligning pay with performance and retaining executives. In February and May 2016, the Committee granted the long-term incentive awards set forth in the table below.

Performance-Based Awards (60% of LTIP Award Value)

Performance awards provide an incentive for executives to earn shares and cash based on our performance over a three-year performance period, with goals set at the beginning of each performance period. The performance awards do not pay dividends or carry voting privileges prior to vesting. In 2016, the three-year performance period began on January 1, 2016, and will end on December 31, 2018 (the “2016 Performance Period”). The value of the performance awards granted under the 2016 Performance Period was divided equally between relative TSR performance awards and ROCE performance awards. The three-year goals focus management on driving attractive returns on the capital we employ and on increasing stockholder value.

TSR Performance Awards

TSR performance awards are based on relative performance, with the payout determined based on the rank of the Corporation’s TSR compared to the TSR of peer group companies over the three-year performance period. TSR is determined based on the following formula: final price plus dividends per share for the performance period, divided by the initial price, raised to 1/3, minus 1. The initial price and final price used are the average closing price for the 20 business days prior to the first and last day of the performance period, respectively.

As noted in the table below, above market performance at the 60^th percentile is required for target payout, and no payout is made for performance below the 30^th percentile.

Beginning with the 2016 performance period, the Committee adopted a new peer group consisting of 12 domestic steel or steel-related companies for use in evaluating relative TSR (described in more detail under “Peer Group” beginning on page 35). In addition, the Committee approved a new policy beginning with 2016 grants to address any potential pay for performance disconnect should the Corporation’s TSR be negative over the performance period (regardless of relative performance).

2013 Performance Awards

The performance period for the 2013 performance awards ended on May 12, 2016. The Corporation’s relative annualized TSR compared to the selected peer group was at the 31.03 percentile, and resulted in a payout of 51.7% of the target award, as shown in the table below. Messrs. Longhi and Matthews are the only NEOs who received a payout for the 2013 performance awards because Messrs. Burritt and Bruno and Ms. Folsom were not yet employed by the Corporation when the grants were made.

ROCE Performance Awards

The payout is determined based on our weighted average cost of capital (noted as return on capital employed or “ROCE”), over the three-year performance period. ROCE is measured based on our consolidated worldwide EBIT, as adjusted, divided by our consolidated worldwide capital employed, as adjusted, over the three-year performance period. The weighted average ROCE is a three-year performance metric calculated based on the ROCE achieved in the first, second, and third years of the performance period, weighted at 20%, 30%, and 50% respectively. The ROCE awards payout at 50% at the threshold level, 100% at the target level, and 200% at the maximum level. ROCE performance goals are not disclosed during an ongoing performance period due to competitive reasons. Beginning in 2015, the ROCE awards were granted in cash, rather than shares, to mitigate dilutive effects of a share grant.

2014 Performance Awards

The performance period for the 2014 performance awards ended on December 31, 2016. The value of the 2014 performance awards was equally divided between relative TSR performance awards and ROCE performance awards. While the relative TSR performance met the performance goals, the ROCE performance did not, resulting in an overall payout of 75% of the target award. Each of the relative TSR and ROCE goals, results and payouts are described below.

2014 TSR Performance Awards

The Corporation’s relative annualized TSR compared to the selected peer group for the performance period was at the 75^th percentile, and resulted in a payout of 150% of the target award. The payout for our NEOs is shown below. Mr. Bruno did not receive a payout because he was not yet employed by the Corporation when the grant was made.

Restricted Stock Units (20% of LTIP Award Value)

Restricted stock units are awards that deliver shares of common stock and accumulated dividends upon vesting. Restricted stock units generally vest ratably on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date, subject to the executive’s continued employment on each vesting date.

The Committee believes that restricted stock units provide the best retention benefits among our long-term incentives, especially during times of challenging economic and industry conditions. They also enable our executives to build ownership in the Corporation, which addresses a key compensation objective. Additionally, because of the downside risk of owning stock, restricted stock units discourage executives from taking excessive risks that would not be in the best long-term interest of stockholders.

Stock Options (20% of LTIP Award Value)

Stock options are “at-risk” awards that reward executives for an increase in the Corporation’s stock price over the term of the

option. The value of the options is limited to the appreciation of our stock price, if any, above the option’s exercise price after the option becomes exercisable and before it expires. Stock options are:

On May 31, 2016, the Committee granted traditional stock options with an exercise price based on the fair market value on the date of grant, which was $14.78.

Other Awards

In February 2016, Mr. Bruno received the second installment of his new hire grant of equity which consisted of 27,450 restricted stock units. Additionally in 2016, Mr. Bruno received a retention grant of equity consisting of 16,915 restricted stock units. In each case the RSUs cliff-vest on the third anniversary of the grant date.

Base Salary

Base salary is designed to compensate for the required day-to-day activities and responsibilities of each position. Base salary is set at a market competitive level to enable the Corporation to attract and retain talent. Actual salary levels take into account such factors as the contribution of the incumbent, individual qualifications and experiences, and internal value to the Corporation. Base salary is paid in cash.

Benefits

NEOs participate in many of the benefits provided to non-represented employees generally, including vacation and holiday benefits, insurance benefits, disability benefits, and medical and prescription drug programs. We believe these benefits support our overall retention objectives.

Retirement Programs

We provide the retirement benefits described below in order to attract and retain talented executive officers. We believe our retirement programs are reasonable in light of competitive pay practices and the total compensation of our executives.

Tax-Qualified Plans

The Corporation maintains the following tax-qualified retirement programs (together, the “Qualified Plans”):

Participation in the Pension Plan was closed to new entrants on July 1, 2003 and benefits under the plan were frozen for all non-represented participants on December 31, 2015. Mr. Matthews was the only NEO covered by the Pension Plan and the related non-qualified plans described below. Beginning in 2016, for all non-represented employees, the Corporation makes a contribution to a “Retirement Account” under the Savings Plan, which is in addition to any matching contributions made under the Savings Plan. Prior to 2016, non-represented employees who were covered by the Pension Plan were not eligible to receive Retirement Account contributions.

In 2016, all of the NEOs received matching contributions and Retirement Account contributions under the Savings Plan and participated in the related non-qualified plans described below.

Non Tax-Qualified Plans

The Corporation maintains the following non tax-qualified programs (together, the “Non-Qualified Plans”) that are designed to provide retirement benefits to executives and other high-level employees of the Corporation and its affiliates:

Benefits under the Non Tax-Qualified Pension Plan and Supplemental Pension Program were frozen on December 31, 2015 when the tax qualified Pension Plan was frozen for all non-represented participants.

The purpose of the Non Tax-Qualified Pension Plan, the Supplemental Thrift Program, and the Non Tax-Qualified Retirement Account Program is to provide benefits that are not permitted to be provided under the Qualified Plans due to certain limits under the Internal Revenue Code. The benefit accrual formulas under these Non-Qualified Plans are approximately equal to the formulas under the respective Qualified Plans.

The purpose of the Supplemental Pension Program and the Supplemental Retirement Account Program is to provide pension benefits based upon compensation paid under our short-term incentive compensation plans, which is excluded under the Qualified Plans. We provide a retirement benefit based on incentive pay to enable our executives (who receive more of their pay in the form of incentive compensation) to receive a comparable retirement benefit.

Benefits under the Supplemental Pension Program and the Supplemental Retirement Account Program are subject to service-based and age-based restrictions. Unless the Corporation consents, benefits under the Supplemental Pension Program are not payable if the executive voluntarily terminates employment (1) prior to age 60 or before completing 15 years of service, or (2) within 36 months of the date coverage under the program commenced. Similarly, unless the Corporation consents, benefits under the Supplemental Retirement Account Program are not payable if the executive voluntarily terminates employment (1) prior to age 55 or before completing 10 years of service (or, if earlier, attaining age 65), or (2) within 36 months of the date coverage under the program commenced. We believe that these restrictions help to support our retention objectives.

For more information on our retirement programs, see the Pension Benefits table and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation table later in this proxy statement.

Perquisites and Security

As part of the Carnegie Way initiative, we examined the perquisites that historically have been offered to executives, and have eliminated or reduced many of them, and none have been extended to any executive hired after November 2014. We continue to provide a limited number of reasonable perquisites

as a recruiting and retention tool and to ensure the health and safety of our key executives. The perquisites available to our NEOs in 2016 are described in the footnotes to the Summary Compensation Table on page 40 of this proxy statement. In general, the perquisites:

The perquisites provided maximize the safe and efficient use of our executives’ time and, by facilitating the development of commercial and other business relationships, provide a significant benefit to the Corporation and its stockholders. The perquisites provided to the NEOs in 2016, other than the CEO, were limited to tax preparation and financial planning and relocation benefits.

The perquisites we provide include residential and personal security services to employees who are the subject of a credible and specific threat on account of his or her role with the Corporation. The level of security provided depends upon the nature of the threat. In 2016, Mr. Longhi was the only NEO who was provided with security services. The Board believes that providing personal security in response to threats arising because of employment by the Corporation is business-related.

We do not provide gross-up payments to cover personal income taxes that may be attributable to any of the perquisites except for (a) relocation and (b) tax equalization and travel related to expatriate assignments. These gross-ups are also provided to non-executive employees.

Change in Control Arrangements

The Corporation’s Change in Control Severance Plan (the “CIC Plan”) became effective on January 1, 2016, and generally provides for the payment of severance benefits to certain eligible executives, including each of the named executive officers, in the event their employment with the Corporation terminates involuntarily following a change in control of the Corporation. The Corporation previously maintained individual change in control agreements with certain executives. The CIC Plan supplanted the agreements, but provides for substantially similar terms.

The CIC Plan enables our executives to evaluate corporate transactional opportunities that may be in the best interests of the Corporation’s stockholders, while limiting concerns about the potential impact of such opportunities on their job security. Under the CIC Plan, payments require a “double trigger,” meaning the named executive officer is eligible for change in control severance payments and benefits in the event that he or she is terminated without cause or voluntarily for good reason in connection with a change in control. In general, upon a change in control and termination each of our named executive officers are entitled to a payment equivalent to a multiple of his or her salary and bonus. For Messrs. Longhi and Burritt and Ms. Folsom, the severance payment multiple is 2.5x and for Messrs. Matthews and Bruno is 2x. We do not provide gross-up payments to cover personal income taxes that may be attributable to payments under the CIC Plan. See “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” for additional information regarding the quantification of these potential payments and benefits.

Letter Agreements

In general, the Corporation does not enter into long-term employment agreements with its executives, but may enter into agreements for a limited period of time to attract or retain experienced professionals for high level positions. The Corporation does not have any current agreements with its NEOs.

The Committee retained Pay Governance, LLC as its independent consultant to assist in the evaluation of executive compensation programs and in setting executive officers’ compensation. The use of an independent consultant provides additional assurance that the Corporation’s executive compensation programs are reasonable and consistent with the Corporation’s objectives. The consultant reports directly to the Committee and does not perform services for management without the express approval of the Committee. There were no services performed by the consultant for management in 2016.

The consultant regularly participates in Committee meetings, including executive sessions, and advises the Committee with respect to compensation trends and best practices, plan design, and the reasonableness of individual compensation awards.

With respect to the CEO’s compensation, the Committee makes its determinations based upon its evaluation of the CEO’s performance and with input from its consultant. Each year, the Committee reviews with the Board of Directors the CEO’s goals and objectives, and the evaluation of the CEO’s performance

with respect to the prior year’s approved CEO goals and objectives. The CEO does not participate in the presentations to, or discussions with, the Committee in connection with the setting of his compensation.

Tally Sheets

The Committee uses tally sheets to evaluate the total compensation and projected payments to the named executive officers under various termination scenarios. This analysis is undertaken annually to assist the Committee in determining whether the compensation package of each named executive officer is appropriately aligned with our compensation philosophy and the compensation practices of our peers.

Peer Group

The Committee also considers relevant market pay practices in its decision making process. The Committee uses the peer group data below as a frame of reference to guide executive compensation decisions.

For 2017, the Corporation has removed Johnson Controls Inc., Deere & Company, International Paper Company and PACCAR Inc. from the executive compensation benchmarking peer group. These companies no longer meet the revenue and other guidelines the Corporation uses to select peers.

New Long-Term Incentive Plan Performance Peer Group for 2016

In February 2016, the Committee approved the use of a second peer group that will be used for evaluating long-term performance. Therefore, beginning with the 2016 Performance Period, the Corporation will utilize two peer groups as described below:

We created the new performance peer group because executive compensation arrangements and practices are influenced by business complexity and company size, and many of our industry competitors are much smaller than U. S. Steel. In setting the executive compensation peer group, the Committee considered a set of broader, industrial peers who might compete with the Corporation for talent as well as companies outside of the material/industrial industry who might attract our executives that have skills transferable outside of the metals industry.

The performance peer group consists of twelve domestic companies in the steel industry. The use of a second peer group or index for evaluating TSR is a common practice among our peers. Because steel industry companies have traded differently from many of our large industrial peers since 2012, the use of a second peer group is more appropriate when evaluating relative TSR performance. Peers were selected based on criteria that included:

The Performance Peer Group consists of the following companies:

In conjunction with the adoption of the new performance peer group for use in our relative TSR performance award plan, we adopted a negative TSR cap which is explained in further detail in the preceding section entitled “TSR Performance Awards.”

Under our stock ownership guidelines, Mr. Longhi has a stock ownership requirement of six times his salary midpoint. Messrs. Burritt, Matthews and Bruno and Ms. Folsom each have a stock ownership requirement of three times their salary midpoint. The stock ownership guidelines require that an executive must retain

100% of the after-tax value of stock acquired upon the vesting of restricted stock units and performance awards and 100% of the after-tax value of shares issued upon the exercise of stock options until the ownership requirement is satisfied. All of the NEOs are in compliance with the terms of the policy.

Anti-Hedging and Pledging

We have a policy that prohibits all directors and employees, including the named executive officers, from engaging in any transaction that is designed to hedge or offset any decrease in our stock price. Our anti-pledging policy prohibits directors and executive officers, including the named executive officers, from pledging our stock as collateral for a loan or holding shares in a margin account.

Clawback Policy

The Board has adopted a policy setting forth procedures to recover payment if an executive engaged in any fraud or misconduct, including gross negligence that caused or partially caused the need for a material restatement of the Corporation’s publicly filed financial results. For any periods as to which a performance-based award was paid or credited to the executive, such award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation or reimbursement to the Corporation at the Board’s discretion. This policy is set forth in our Corporate Governance Principles which are available on our website www.ussteel.com.

Compensation and Risk Management

The Committee’s compensation consultant annually performs a risk assessment of our executive compensation program and, based on its most recent review, the consultant has determined that our compensation program contains a variety of features that mitigate unnecessary risk taking, including the following:

For these reasons, the Committee concluded that our 2016 compensation and organization policies and practices are not reasonably likely to create a risk that could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation.

Accounting and Tax Considerations

In determining executive compensation, the Committee considers, among other factors, the possible tax consequences to the Corporation. Tax consequences, including but not limited to tax deductibility by the Corporation, are subject to many factors (such as changes in the tax laws and regulations or interpretations thereof) that are beyond the control of the Corporation. In addition, the Committee believes that it is important for it to retain maximum flexibility in designing compensation programs that meet its stated objectives. For these reasons, the Committee, while considering tax deductibility as one of the factors in determining compensation, does not limit compensation to those levels or types of compensation that will be deductible by the Corporation. For a detailed discussion of the accounting impacts on various elements of long-term incentive compensation, see footnote 14 to the Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2017.