WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 30, 2012) Following President Obama’s Executive Order that will spur America’s industries to become more energy efficient and ensure manufacturing in the U.S. will be able to compete globally, BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster released the following statement:

“The Obama administration has made a full-court press on reducing energy usage and waste across the country and this action rounds out that effort. Meeting the goal of 40 gigawatts (GW) of new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) over the next decade is within our reach, and indeed is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of our potential. Between this, and other elements of the Executive Order that will incentivize investments in industrial energy efficiency, our country will dramatically reduce energy waste and pollution.

“A strategic approach to lowering energy use by industrial facilities is as much about the bottom line as it is about sustainability and will have a far reaching effect, creating jobs, reducing energy costs and boosting productivity. Meeting the 40 GW goal alone will mean $40 to $80 billion of new capital investment in American manufacturing facilities. Even though Congress has dropped the ball on advancing a 21^st century energy policy, the Obama administration has picked it up and is moving our nation forward to a better, less wasteful, energy future.”