Representative Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) political games on the Keystone XL pipeline project is only setting Americans back in their quest to find jobs — good paying jobs.  Continued attempts by the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce committee to cause a distraction by focusing on whether or not certain companies stand to benefit from this project is deplorable.  Americans stand to benefit.  More than 20,000 jobs will be created in manufacturing and construction, not to mention the 118,000 spin-off jobs that will also be created.  Manufacturers use one-third of our nation’s energy supply and the construction of the pipeline will provide a new source of affordable energy to manufacturers.

So let’s stop playing games. Politicians can no longer claim the need to create jobs for Americans while simultaneously using their position to stand in the way of common sense projects that would do exactly that.  America is prosperous because the private-sector fuels our economy and creates jobs — this Keystone XL pipeline project is no different.

Jay Timmons is president and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers.

As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to move forward with its overreaching agenda the impact is beginning to be felt across the country. This week we’ve seen new reports in the news of jobs that will be lost as the result of facilities that will be forced to close because of new EPA regulations. These closing’s just don’t impact those who work at the plant, they impact the entire town.

A report from Williamsport, Maryland Herald-Mail yesterday tells the story of the impact the closing of the R. Paul Smith Power station will have on the entire community.

Williamsport resident Johnna Artz didn’t mince words Thursday about her opposition to the closing of the R. Paul Smith Power Station in town.

“This affects everybody,” she said. “It hurts the whole community with the number of jobs and revenue lost.” The plant, which went on line in 1927 and employs around 40 people, is being closed as a result of tougher emission regulations imposed by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Artz, 71, who has lived in Williamsport for 48 years, said that the plant closing will impact her family. She said the federal government could focus on other environmental issues instead of those that take away jobs.

And on the banks of Lake Erie FirstEnergy Corp facing the same regulations will be shuttering plants which will impact hundreds of employees and have a domino effect through the local communities. (continue reading…)

This morning the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline last week. The witnesses at the hearing included officials from the Bureau of Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

During the hearing there was an attempt by several members of the Energy and Commerce Committee to politicize and further distract from the main issue at hand – jobs and energy security. It’s time for the politics to stop over Keystone XL and get down to how we move forward with this important project. President Obama and his Administration have already decided to play politics over sound policy and it will cost manufacturers jobs and lost competitiveness. We can no longer afford additional delays by playing partisan politics.

The project will put thousands of Americans back to work immediately and the benefit will be felt throughout the economy. The pipeline’s construction will create 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs and 118,000 spin-off jobs.

The jobs numbers don’t tell the full story. Manufacturers are large consumers of energy, using one-third of our nation’s energy supply. Keystone XL will provide a key source of affordable energy for manufacturers. Manufacturers are already facing strong headwinds from rising energy prices and regulations which makes Keystone XL vitally important to manufacturers’ competitiveness against growing global competition. We can no longer afford to wait.

The National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups have sent a letter today to President Obama urging him to approve the Keystone XL pipeline as soon as possible. Provisions included in the payroll tax extension legislation that passed in December gave the President 60 days to approve the permit.

The project has been under review for more than three years and the State Department conducted more than 100 public meetings on the project.

Keystone XL construction will immediately create manufacturing jobs throughout the U.S. Numbers released as recently as yesterday show that the projects construction will create 7,000 manufacturing jobs.

Manufacturers are large consumers of energy, consuming more than one-third of our nation’s energy supply. This makes access to affordable sources of energy extremely important to manufacturers. Keystone XL will help keep energy costs low for manufacturers, which helps them better compete, grow and create new quality jobs. 

Excerpt from the letter:

The undersigned organizations urge you to approve the Keystone XL pipeline as soon as possible. With your approval, this shovel-ready project will provide 20,000 jobs in construction and manufacturing in the next two years, and add tens of thousands of additional jobs throughout the economy in other sectors including service, retail and distribution. With our nation’s stubbornly high unemployment, it would be irresponsible to let such good-paying jobs slip away.

We hope that the President will approve the project as soon as possible so we can get Americans back to work.

New details were released by TransCanada today on the potential job creation that awaits once the Keystone XL pipeline is approved. The data shows that the pipeline will create 20,000 jobs – 7,000 specific to manufacturing.

December’s employment report showed a lower unemployment rate of 8.5 percent. While this is good news, it does not restore the certainty that Americans need. The Keystone XL pipeline is the key to a national energy plan that strives for affordable, reliable and secure energy.

TransCanada boasts the residual effect of the pipeline.

“Hundreds of jobs will be created through requirements for fuel, coating materials, welding supplies, concrete materials, geo-textile materials, pipeline weights, native seed materials for reclamation, cathodic protection materials, crushed rock, sediment barrier materials, valve and pigging assemblies, field trailer manufacturing, construction mats, power facility materials, aggregate manufacturing, road construction materials, water and waste facility manufacturing, fencing materials, communication infrastructure, bridge construction materials and many others.”

The ball is now in President Obama’s court. Congress gave President Obama 60 days to deny that the Keystone XL pipeline is in our nation’s best interest. Manufacturers, who are excited about this opportunity to invest and expand, remain waiting on the sidelines.

This afternoon the House voted 226-185 to pass H.Res. 501, which expressed the sense of the House regarding a final measure to extend the payroll tax holiday. The resolution included sections pertaining to the economic impact of the EPA’s Boiler MACT rules and the importance of the Keystone XL pipeline.

H.Res. 501 on Boiler MACT:

Whereas EPA’s new proposed rules for boilers would cost manufacturers, colleges and universities, municipalities, and small businesses $15 billion and put up to 240,000 jobs at risk;

Whereas significant concerns with EPA’s new proposed rules cannot be adequately addressed or remedied unless Congress passes legislation; and

Whereas the House of Representatives passed on October 13, 2011, by a vote of 275 to 142, with the support of 41 Democrats, legislation that would overturn EPA’s Boiler MACT rules and require the agency to re-propose new rules in 15 months after date of enactment, with achievable standards, and an extension of the compliance period. (continue reading…)

On December 2^nd the EPA released the new proposed Boiler MACT rules and now the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners released the new updated report of the impact these harmful rules will have on jobs.

The updated report conducted by CIBO and IHS Global Insight estimates that the impact of the reconsidered Boiler MACT rules on ICI Boiler and Process Heater Owners and Operators will put 240,181 jobs at risk, 10,000 more than the previous rule, and cost more than $15 billion to comply. The states that will be impacted the hardest by these rules will be North Carolina and Indiana with more than 16,000 jobs at risk.

This is a regulation that manufacturers just can’t afford right now when they are continuing to recover and trying to create jobs. We will continue to work with EPA on the revision of the rules and push for legislation curb the impact of Boiler MACT.

Today, President Obama and former President Clinton rolled out a new challenge, focusing on public and private sector investment in energy efficiency upgrades for federal buildings.  The first portion, dealing with private buildings, challenges the private sector to upgrade nearly 1.6 billion square feet of commercial and industrial property.

The second portion, focusing on federal building energy efficiency upgrades, highlights the Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC).  Finally, the third portion, dealing with existing tax incentives, looks at improving section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code that allows for deductions for the cost of qualifying energy efficient commercial buildings. 

This is a welcomed announcement as manufacturers, using nearly one-third of the nation’s energy, rely on energy efficiency to reduce the cost and use of energy and pollution.  Furthermore, the streamlining of section 179D is an important step as it will improve utilization of the credit. 

Most importantly, as the challenge pushes for the private sector improvements, it also requires the federal agencies to enter into a minimum of $2 billion in performance-based contracts over the next 2 years.  It’s important to note that this financial commitment is based on the energy savings that the federal buildings will realize after the upgrade. 

This will allow manufacturers to assess and upgrade federal buildings while driving demand for these products and technologies and creating new jobs. This is a welcomed policy at a time when employment report for November shows a stall in manufacturing jobs.

Mahta Mahdavi is director of energy and resourced policy, National Association of Manufacturers.

Last weekend software company SAP’s unique approach to sustainability was featured on the season premiere of John Holden’s “The Green Room” on the Discovery Channel. SAP helps its customers, including manufacturers, implement programs to help their companies run more efficiently and sustainably.

Holden highlights SAP’s cutting-edge “Green IT” solutions help companies establish more energy efficient computing operations. SAP Chief Sustainability Officer Peter Graf estimates that Green IT could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 16 percent. 

Holden also notes that SAP’s commitment to sustainability does not stop with its customers. The company has a robust corporate sustainability program which aims to reduce the company’s environmental impact. SAP’s offices have high-efficiency data centers, solar roof panels, a fleet of electric vehicles and charging stations in the employee parking lots.

Learn more about SAP’s top-notch sustainability services here. Its 2010 Sustainability Report is available here. 

Alicia Meads is director of energy and resources policy, National Association of Manufacturers.

Earlier this week the U.S. Forest Service delayed the lease sale of approximately 3,300 acres in the Wayne National Forest for shale oil and gas drilling. The Forest Service states that conditions have changed since the 2006 Forest plan was developed.

The exploration and development of shale oil and gas is creating thousands of jobs across Ohio and neighboring states, and providing a significant economic boost to the local communities. The impacts of shale exploration and development are felt throughout the economy, from the companies that do the fracturing all the way to the local restaurants and hotels.

Just recently the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program estimated that drilling in the Utica shale in Ohio would produce up to 204,500 jobs by 2015. These much-needed jobs are put at risk with the delay of the lease sale. 

Manufactures remain concerned with how this delay and potential future delays will directly impact their energy costs and ability to compete. Access to affordable sources of energy is directly linked to the competitiveness of manufacturers as they use one-third of our nation’s energy supply. 

We are hopeful that this lease sale delay in the Wayne National Forest does not trigger a chain reaction for similar delays throughout the country, potentially locking up an important resource and driver of job creation.  Our nation needs jobs and shale development provides a tremendous opportunity for job creation as well as access to an important and valuable new source of energy.

Chip Yost is vice president for energy and resources policy, National Association of Manufacturers.