Ground currents are any current that flows to the ground. While normally these currents are small they do occur under normal operation. Electrical equipment, such as computers and audio systems, that operates at high frequencies often produce some high frequency grounding currents that can cause electrical noise and other problems. This is related to the concept of impedance which is frequency dependent resistance to high frequencies. Understanding this typically requires a formal course in electronics where you learn about imaginary numbers.
While these grounding currents are not a problem in many buildings, they can be a real problem in some.
The IBC and the steel code referenced from the IBC are clear that rebar is not structural steel. I repeat reinforcing steel is not structural steel. I could not find any provision defining rebar as structural steel in the NEC. In any case the NEC has no business trying to redefine the term structural steel.
Your claim that the structural frame is bonded to the grounding electrode system will be news to structural engineers designing these frames. Structural engineers do not want anybody welding or punching holes in the structural steel except as they have provided for. An electrician that welds grounding wires to structural steel could in some cases result create a situation that could lead to a premature failure of the structural system.
There is a difference between bonding and grounding. Bonding allows the current resulting from voltages to flow to the grounding elements while the grounding elements are concerned with allowing the current to flow to the earth ground. We do not want the structural frame to be the primary path of the current directly to the ground.
While it is common to think of a ground having zero resistance there can be significant resistances in the ground circuit. If you try to make the steel frame the path to the ground you will likely find that the resistances are larger than the resistances associated with a copper grounding wire that goes directly to the earth ground. If you bond the steel frame to the grounding system you do not need to create a second low resistance path directly to the earth ground.