USW Applauds Obama Administration for Commitment to Industrial Energy Efficiency

Contact: Roxanne Brown (202) 778-4384

(Pittsburgh)  – The United Steelworkers (USW) welcomed today’s Executive Order signed by President Obama on Industrial Energy Efficiency.
 
“U.S. manufactures and manufacturing workers are the most efficient in the world,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “The goals the President laid out today of 40 gigawatts of new combined heat and power (CHP) over the next decade will help to ensure both the competiveness of U.S. manufactures and the jobs of thousands of manufacturing workers by lowering energy costs by as much as $100 billion over ten years.”

“Manufacturing is the backbone of our nation and as the largest manufacturing union in North America, we are committed to making sure that the industries of today will also be the industries of tomorrow,” said USW International Vice President Tom Conway. “Technologies like CHP and waste heat recovery will help to ensure that manufacturing sectors like steel, chemicals and others will still be strong 50 years from now.” 

CHP, which uses a single source for electric generation to create heat as well as electricity on-site, is not a new technology as the U.S. pulp and paper sector is the largest user of cogeneration to produce energy.   With currently less than nine percent CHP generating capacity in the United States – behind nations like Germany, China and Denmark, – today’s Executive Order will serve to increase CHP capacity by facilitating investments in the technology, but will also help manufacturers reduce harmful emissions and enhance grid security. 

The USW is North America’s largest industrial union, representing 850,000 workers in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply, and the energy-producing industries.  For more information: www.usw.org/.

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