Senate Bill Aims To Increase Energy Efficiency and Revitalize U.S. Manufacturing Base

A bipartisan group of eight senators have introduced a bill aimed at renewing America’s industrial sector by using less energy, reducing carbon emissions and producing the technologies that will help the U.S. and the world reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

S. 661, the “Restoring America’s Manufacturing Leadership through Energy Efficiency Act of 2009”, is sponsored by Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Mark Pryor (D-AR).

“Our country is struggling with some of the toughest economic challenges that most of us have ever seen, said Senator Bingaman. "This bill will help renew our nation’s industrial base into one that is more productive and less reliant on fuels of the past.”

“We need to cut carbon, not jobs,” said Senator Murkowski. “This bill will allow companies to improve their energy efficiency without hurting their bottom line. By spurring innovation in new energy efficient technologies, we hope to save manufacturing jobs, create new growth in the industry and move toward a cleaner energy future."

S. 661 outlines steps toward revitalizing the U.S. manufacturing base by increasing energy productivity including:

• Establishing financing mechanisms for both small and large manufacturers to adopt advanced energy efficient production technologies and processes which will allow them to be more productive and less fuel dependent, cutting costs, not jobs.
• Spurring innovation in the manufacturing sector to decrease energy intensity and environmental impacts while increasing productivity. The bill establishes industry-led partnerships to develop industry-specific roadmaps to identify the breakthrough technologies necessary to reduce energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions. It also stimulates, through competitive grants to industry and small businesses, the development, deployment and commercialization of energy efficient technologies and processes.
• Expanding the number of the Industrial Research and Assessment Centers to better meet the needs of small and medium manufacturers. The bill also provides for workforce training through paid internships at the centers for students to work with industries and manufacturers to implement energy efficiency technologies.

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