SMACNA and the Sheet Metal Workers union sent a joint letter to President Barack Obama thanking him for an Aug. 30 executive order on industrial energy efficiency.
“The presidential announcement and executive order will stimulate industrial retrofits, make American manufacturers more competitive by slashing their energy bills, create skilled construction related jobs, and reduce harmful pollution,” said Joseph Nigro, general president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Rail and Transportation Workers, formerly the Sheet Metal Workers union . “Your administration is both correct and logical to focus on the industrial sector, which is responsible for nearly one third of U.S. energy use and where efficiency and productivity opportunities abound. This valued effort will complement the successful Better Buildings Initiative as well as the many tax and program investment incentives for greater efficiency in residential, commercial and public facilities. All of these initiatives have created construction activity, economic growth and energy savings with improvement to environmental quality.”