Affordable American Energy

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

News coverage and sundry from yesterday’s meeting with President Bush and the Coalition for Affordable American Energy.

National Association of Manufacturers news release, “NAM board member urges Bush to up energy supplies”

Environmental News Service, “Bush Meets with Coalition for Affordable American Energy”

Chamber of Commerce blog post, “Affordable America Energy”

And again, a report from the scene from the NAM’s Keith McCoy.


Posted @ 9:45 am | Category: Energy | Author: Carter Wood | Tags: , , | No Comments

At the White House with Energy on the Agenda

Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Today NAM Board Member Dyke Messinger of Power Curbers, Inc. and I joined other members of the Coalition for Affordable American Energy in a White House meeting with President Bush, first to thank him for his leadership in lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and to urge him to hold Congress’ feet to the fire to do the same.
 
Dyke told the President that his company is a 55-year old family-owned company located in Salisbury, N.C., that manufactures machinery for concrete curbs and gutters as well as highway safety barrier among many other fine products.  Dyke said that his employees want to know how he could reduce their commuting cost to work in his plant.  He told the President that while this is viewed today as an employer issue, employees are feeling the pinch too and need relief.
The U.S. manufacturing sector consumes one-third of all energy in the country — to run plants, offices, research facilities and as a critical raw material or “feedstock” to make things.  More than any other sector of the U.S. economy, manufacturing is squeezed between rising costs and the inability to pass those costs on to customers. 
While manufacturers can raise productivity and slash costs for the inputs that go into products, they cannot address the structural cost of which energy is the biggest, without strong leadership from elected officials, both in Washington and in the state capitals.
Dyke said that we face a great challenge he expressed confidence that good old fashion American ingenuity will save the day.  Addressing this challenge, however, will require new investments, new innovations and significant changes in how we consume and conserve energy, but more importantly, we need to access our abundant resources both on shore and off. 

More….


Posted @ 5:33 pm | Category: Energy, Policy Experts | Author: Keith McCoy | Tags: , , , , | One Comment

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