NAM hails House passage of energy efficiency bill

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) on October 24 praised House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Nick Lampson for their leadership in winning House passage of economically sound, cost-effective energy efficiency legislation.

The NAM-supported Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act (H.R. 3775) authorizes and supports research, development, demonstration and commercial application of new industrial processes and technologies that will optimize energy efficiency, environmental performance and economic competitiveness of energy intensive industries. It also expands Industrial Assessment Centers programs at universities to promote student training and adoption of energy efficient technologies and practices by small and medium-sized industries.

“Manufacturers have long been among the vanguard of energy efficiency proponents — investing in the research and development necessary to reduce energy use and employing advanced technologies in their operations,” said Keith McCoy, NAM vice president for energy and resources policy. “As the consumers of one-third of the nation’s energy, manufacturers understand the value the role energy efficiency plays in providing immediate and cost-effective opportunities to cut the increasing energy costs associated with making products and maintaining office operations.”

Among the programs authorized by the bill is the Department of Energy Industrial Technology Program (ITP), which works to improve the energy intensity of U.S. industry through coordinated public-private research and development projects and dissemination of innovative energy efficiency technologies and practices. In Congressional testimony on behalf of the NAM, Frederick L. Moore of the Dow Chemical Company praised the program as the type of public-private partnership necessary to promote energy efficiency.

“The DOE ITP program represents the kind of government program that is necessary to help U.S. manufacturers identify opportunities for energy savings through efficiency,” said Moore, whose company serves as chair of the NAM Energy Efficiency Task Force. “We believe this very valuable program should be strengthened in order to promote energy efficiency across the manufacturing sector.”

More information about the NAM energy agenda is available at www.nam.org

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation’s largest industrial trade association, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the NAM has 11 additional offices across the country. Visit www.nam.org for more information about manufacturing and the economy.