The Senate Manufacturing Task Force, the Northeast-Midwest Institute, and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute sponsored a Congressional briefing on the potential for increasing energy efficiency in the industrial sector. Nine industries (steel, aluminum, metal-casting, chemicals, forest products, petroleum refining, agriculture, mining, and glass) account for 75 percent of energy use, 80 percent of air emissions and 90 percent of the waste produced by manufacturers in the United States. The potential for enhanced energy efficiency in manufacturing is tremendous, but barriers exist to the development of new production technologies needed to capture that potential. Helping manufacturers improve energy efficiency is vital to increasing productivity, creating jobs and protecting natural resources.

This briefing provided information on the President's 2003 budget proposal for energy efficiency programs in the industrial sector and how federal programs are helping manufacturers improve energy efficiency. The expert panel included: