When the administration of President-Elect Barack Obama takes office on Jan. 20, it will face enormous challenges in just about every significant area of government. An economy in freefall and two hot wars overseas are just the beginning. It’s clear the new president will need the very best advice he can get.
With this in mind, Evan Gaddis, president and CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., sent the president-elect an open letter early this month offering the association as a resource to help address the challenges his administration faces. The letter, which includes 28 recommendations regarding the issues of greatest importance to the electrical industry, is available from NEMA’s website at www.nema.org/BarackObama.
At the top of the list, Gaddis highlighted the electrical industry’s indispensible role in creating a more energy-efficient society and its efforts to develop a modernized "smart" electrical grid. In the presidential campaign and in statements since the election, Obama has put energy-efficiency, alternative energy sources and infrastructure upgrades at the center of his economic stimulus plans. In the letter, Gaddis encourages Obama to provide incentives for deployment of energy-efficient technologies and products, along with changes to transmission and distribution facilities’ depreciation and rate-recovery formulas to encourage a rapid build-out of the Smart Grid, including power electronics and high-voltage direct current technologies.
Among the other recommendations, Gaddis called for incentives for states to adopt and enforce "green" building codes, increased funding for Department of Energy (DOE) research on advanced solid-state (LED and OLED) lighting technologies, and funding for the High Performance Green Building and Commercial Building Initiative.
He also called attention to the industry’s efforts to reduce and eliminate various hazardous materials from electrical products and urged the administration to support legislation to codify the industry’s commitments by establishing national standards for certain electrical products.
Gaddis also encouraged the Obama administration to take steps to promote international free trade and enforce a zero-tolerance policy regarding counterfeit products, and to maintain the nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL) program for the sake of electrical product safety.
The letter pointed to healthcare issues on two fronts: the need for reform to mitigate rising healthcare costs and the role played by NEMA’s Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance members in advancing technology to support early diagnosis of disease and improvements in patient care.
"Rising health care costs are one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers," Gaddis said.