Energy and Manufacturing in the United States
Working Paper Series The Roosevelt Project Special Series Energy and Manufacturing in the United States David Foster, Sade Nabahe, and Benny Siu Hon Ng Roosevelt Project Report Sponsor The Roosevelt Project participants thank the Emerson Collective for sponsoring this report and for their continued leadership on issues at the intersection of social justice and environmental stewardship. Energy and Manufacturing in the United States David Foster1,2, Sade Nabahe1, Benny Siu Hon Ng1 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2 Energy Futures Initiative September 2020 Abstract The Energy sector is critical to the economic vitality of the United States, but has been undergoing significant change in recent decades both with respect to traditional energy resources and a growing clean energy economy. Simultaneously, the decarbonization of the energy sector is occurring in parallel to other macroeconomic transitions, e.g. automation, digitization, and globalization. This white paper will explore the close relationship between the energy and manufacturing sectors of the U.S. economy within this broader context. Historically, energy costs and reliability have played a key role in manufacturing competitiveness and anchored the location of manufacturing in the Midwest and Appalachia. In addition, the energy sector has traditionally provided a large market for manufactured goods in generating equipment, energy infrastructure products, and fuels production equipment. This paper will explore how the decarbonization of energy production and energy policy may impact manufacturers, especially the energy intensive, trade-exposed industries, offering opportunities while also creating challenges that will make them more vulnerable to international competition if unaddressed. Finally, the paper will conclude with recommendations for the optimal policy environment to spur the manufacturing of new technology in the United States.
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