Governors Give Industrial Energy Efficiency a Boost

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2011

Contact:  Linda Davis (303) 623-9378 ext. 107

BOISE, IDAHO – A two-day “Summit on Industrial Energy Efficiency” that wrapped up here today will result in the development of a number of recommendations for Western governors to consider in an effort to save energy and reduce costs.

Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter (Idaho), Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association, addressed the summit attendees on Wednesday.  He noted that industry consumes approximately 28 percent of the West’s total energy use, which is why incremental improvements in efficiency can have a large impact on reducing the region’s overall energy consumption.

“Energy efficiency is the low hanging fruit in our energy orchard and we need to aggressively pursue all reasonable cost-effective opportunities,” Otter said.  “By aggressively pursuing energy efficiency we free up capacity on our transmission system and make more energy available to help businesses expand.”

Otter said many states have programs that already have assisted industry in reducing energy use by 2 to 3 percent a year, resulting in a 10 to 15 percent savings over more than five years.

“We need to better understand which policies spur greater investments in energy efficiency, as well as those that may hinder progress,” he said.

Summit attendees participated in breakout sessions to develop recommendations for the governors to consider when they meet this June in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for their Annual Meeting.

View a video of Gov. Otter's opening remarks. 

 

# # # # #