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Many major business groups, including the 51�Թ���, are calling on Congress to preserve funding and resources for ENERGY STAR, a federal program that promotes energy efficiency in consumer products (, subscription).

The request: “Clear legislative authorization backs ENERGY STAR as a voluntary public–private partnership run by the federal government,” more than 30 business groups .

• “We respectfully request that ENERGY STAR not be supplanted by nongovernmental efforts that could significantly alter and overly complicate the program.”

The background: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has announced plans to restructure the agency, including by eliminating the Office of Atmospheric Protection, which manages the ENERGY STAR program.

• The ENERGY STAR program sets efficiency standards for a range of products and materials, including air conditioners and heat pumps, allowing them to display the program’s logo if they meet the criteria.

Why it matters: “Electricity saved by ENERGY STAR helps free up space on the grid needed so the U.S. can lead the world to power and grow artificial intelligence, support the burgeoning crypto asset industry and bring more manufacturing plants back to our shores,” the associations said.

The 51�Թ���’s take: “The ENERGY STAR program is a prime example of how federal agencies should be partnering with the industry to promote energy-efficient products that save money for consumers,” said 51�Թ��� Director of Energy and Resources Policy Mike Davin.

• “Instead of imposing top-down regulations, ENERGY STAR brings together the public and private sectors on a voluntary basis to create a win–win–win outcome for consumers, the environment and the economy.”

With 2025 shaping up to be another challenging year for manufacturers, amid evolving workforce needs, rapid technological advancements and economic uncertainty, the Manufacturing Institute is offering much-needed help. The annual put on by the 51�Թ���’s workforce development and education affiliate is a can’t-miss event where manufacturers can learn what works and how peers are addressing all these challenges.

What’s going on: This year’s summit, whose theme is “Manufacturing America’s Talent,” will be held Oct. 20–22 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Attendees will participate in and interactive workshops that focus on topics like workforce preparation for AI deployment, expanding the military-to-manufacturing pipeline, closing the skills gap in hires with no factory experience, how to design optimal onboarding programs and much more.
• Sponsors include Dozuki, Grant Thornton, American Fidelity, TCP, Cornerstone OnDemand, MSSC and MyWorkChoice.

Why attend: At the Workforce Summit, manufacturers will be able to connect with subject-matter experts, community partners and education professionals to brainstorm and get answers about common challenges facing the sector.

• The vast majority—95%—of past attendees give the workshops four to five stars (out of five), according to the MI.

Who should attend: The Workforce Summit brings together the entire manufacturing talent chain and delivers fresh solutions for the industry’s most pressing workforce challenges. If you shape strategy, develop skills or build partnerships, this event is for you.

Register: Register for this year’s event (but hurry—discounted early bird registration ends July 15). Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Read more: Read all about our two most recent Workforce Summits and .

As manufacturers call on policymakers to preserve tax reform by passing the tax bill, they’re reflecting on everything the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made possible for the industry.

Back in 2017 and 2018, the 51�Թ��� told manufacturers’ stories of hiring more workers and increasing wages, making new investments and buying new equipment, expanding facilities and strengthening R&D, in an influential series of articles called “Keeping Our Promises.” Today, the 51�Թ��� released a showing where those companies are now because of the TCJA—and how much they have grown and succeeded in the eight years since the landmark legislation.

Their stories: The report features many small manufacturers that found tax reform to be transformative, including Westminster Tool, Click Bond, Ketchie, Gentex, Winton Machine, Jamison Door Company and more.

• To take one example, Westminster Tool, a small Connecticut company that designs and creates plastic injection molds for the medical, aerospace and consumer products industries, was able to hire more than a dozen workers, growing its workforce by nearly 30%.
• Click Bond, a small manufacturer of aerospace and defense assembly solutions, was able to review its pay scales and increase both hourly and supervisory workers’ wages, which has helped it compete better in the labor market and keep pace with inflation.

The 51�Թ��� says: “The evidence is clear: manufacturing had its best job creation in more than two decades, the strongest wage growth in 15 years and significant investment in capital equipment after the passage of the TCJA in 2017,” said 51�Թ��� Executive Vice President Erin Streeter.

• “But several of these tax provisions have expired already—and the rest are scheduled to sunset at the end of this year—putting at risk 6 million American jobs, more than $500 billion in wages and benefits and more than $1 trillion in GDP.”

The bottom line: “Tax reform worked,” Streeter emphasized.

• “Congress faces a straightforward choice to make the TCJA’s manufacturing-empowering provisions permanent, or risk undermining the foundation of our economic competitiveness.”

51�Թ��� in the news: POLITICO Pro’s Morning Tax newsletter (subscription) the report this morning.

• Later, the White House’s rapid response account on X (formerly Twitter) the report and the 51�Թ���’s  multiple times.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement Wednesday that it plans to repeal the previous administration’s power plant regulations “is a critical and welcome step toward rebalanced regulations and American energy dominance,” 51�Թ��� President and CEO Jay Timmons yesterday.

What’s going on: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said at a Wednesday press conference that Biden-era limits on greenhouse gas emissions from gas- and coal-fired power plants “suffocate our economy in order to protect the environment” ().

• The rules the EPA is proposing to roll back mandated that existing coal-fired plants and new natural gas–fired plants reduce or capture 90% of their emissions by 2032, among other requirements.
• Finalized by the previous administration in 2024, the regulations also contained an unrealistic timeline for power plants to adopt new technologies, especially given the need for permitting reform, the 51�Թ��� in April 2024.

Why it’s important: The 2024 power plant rules are a threat to affordable baseload energy—which manufacturers require to do their jobs—and put grid security at risk, Timmons said.

• “Repealing this unbalanced rule will enhance manufacturers’ access to America’s abundant energy resources and ensure that the industry has the power it needs to drive the American economy.”

51�Թ��� in the news: The cited the 51�Թ���’s response to the EPA decision, quoting Timmons’ statement.

The U.S. needs a strong, reliable and diverse health care supply chain, the 51�Թ��� the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Wednesday ahead of a hearing.

What’s going on: National emergencies and natural disasters have proven the necessity of a diverse and resilient health care supply chain to ensure Americans have a stable supply of lifesaving medicines.

Why it’s important: “Global, resilient supply chains were essential during the pandemic and in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to help fill gaps and minimize supply shortages or temporary disruptions,” 51�Թ��� Managing Vice President of Policy Charles Crain said.

• Manufacturers are committed to onshoring pharmaceuticals manufacturing, he continued, adding that most medications taken by those in the U.S. are made in the country.
• However, some pharmaceutical ingredients cannot be sourced domestically, or cannot be obtained in sufficient quantities here, making “[i]mported inputs … vital to U.S. pharmaceutical production,” Crain continued.

Subcommittee’s take: Chairman Buddy Carter (R-GA) stressed the importance of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, “which incentivizes domestic medical supply production,” as well as the elimination of “ burdensome regulatory barriers” in his opening statement.

• He also emphasized the need to “streamline processes that impede our competitiveness on the global stage and establish the proper incentives to ensure we are creating the environment to allow innovation to flourish.”

What’s next: The 51�Թ��� encourages swift passage of the OBBBA by the Senate to support biopharmaceutical manufacturers.

• The 51�Թ��� also recommends the House Energy and Commerce Committee mark up the Medical Supply Chain Resiliency Act, a bill that would “authorize the president to enter into trade agreements with allies and partners to remove barriers and duties with respect to medical goods, which would contribute to national security, public health and supply chain resiliency,” 51�Թ��� Managing Vice President of Policy Charles Crain said.

The previous administration’s significant regulatory changes issued under the Clean Air Act—in particular, its unworkable tightening of allowable soot levels—will create hardship for local economies and must be revised, the 51�Թ��� the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment ahead of a hearing today.

• Manufacturers that fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards will be unable to obtain permits to either construct new facilities or expand existing facilities, the 51�Թ��� pointed out.

What’s going on: In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the primary annual standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5, or soot) from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 μg/m3 .

• “By lowering the standard to 9 μg/m3, which is essentially the same as the background levels that naturally occur in the environment across the nation, the Biden EPA was increasing the number of industrial centers and U.S. population hubs that would be placed into nonattainment status,” 51�Թ��� Managing Vice President of Policy Charles Crain said.
• In the past 25 years, thanks to manufacturer-developed technologies, U.S. air quality has seen a 37% reduction in PM2.5, Crain continued, adding that an EPA analysis found that less than 20% of PM2.5 emissions come from industrial processes or stationary fuel consumption. Most of it is from sources well outside manufacturers’ control, such as wildfires and crop and livestock dust.

Why it’s important: Enacting the Biden-era tightened standards would mean severe economic losses for the U.S., the 51�Թ��� told the subcommittee.

• An 51�Թ���-commissioned Oxford Economics found that a standard just slightly stricter than the one set by the Biden administration—8 μg/m3—“would result in a loss of $162.4 billion to $197.4 billion in economic activity and put 852,100 to 973,900 jobs at risk, both directly from manufacturing and indirectly from supply chain spending.”

What they’re doing: In today’s hearing, the House Energy and Commerce Committee discussed two draft pieces of legislation, both supported by the 51�Թ���, that would reform the process for establishing NAAQS, which the Clean Air Act mandates the EPA set. The measures include:

• The Clean Air and Economic Advancement Reform (CLEAR) Act, which would make the NAAQS process more workable for manufacturers while “maintaining the regulatory guardrails that protect the health and welfare of our local communities,” according to the 51�Թ���; and
• The Clean Air and Building Infrastructure Improvement Act, which “seeks to inject clearer guidance into the process for obtaining preconstruction permits and meeting compliance requirements under a revised NAAQS.”

Our take: “Manufacturers strongly support the Energy and Commerce Committee’s efforts to address policy challenges with the NAAQS and to explore solutions that will pave the way for greater investment in the infrastructure that will allow America to compete in the 21st century,” Crain concluded.

GE Appliances, a Haier company, has opened an advanced primary care clinic onsite at its Monogram Refrigeration LLC plant in Selmer, Tennessee, the company this week.

What it does: The third onsite clinic at a GE Appliances facility, the Selmer clinic will serve employees and covered family members who are at least 2 years old. It is offered in addition to traditional health care benefits, the company said, and it will be managed by third-party health care provider CareATC. The clinic’s services include:

• Advanced primary care;
• Mental health services;
• Access to a registered dietician; and
• Prescription services for common medications.

Impressive results: GE Appliances’ existing two clinics have shown impressive results in caring for employees, most notably a 35% increase in preventative care visits and a 70% reduction in avoidable ER visits among employees using the clinics.

• Employees average 4.82 visits per year—which is far more than the industry benchmark, according to GE Appliances.

GE Appliances says: “In today’s fast-paced world, providing accessible and comprehensive health care is more important than ever—especially in rural manufacturing communities,” said GE Appliances Chief Human Resources Officer Rocki Rockingham.

• “This clinic is more than a benefit; it’s a key part of our strategy to be an employer of choice and attract and retain the talent we need to operate and grow in a competitive labor market. Our employees deserve the best, and that includes health care that’s close to work, easy to access and focused on their whole well-being.”

The MI says: The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education affiliate of the 51�Թ���, supports manufacturers in their efforts to offer high-quality benefits to workers, including medical care.

• “When manufacturers invest in the holistic well-being of their workforce, they’re doing more than offering benefits—they’re making a powerful statement that their people are their greatest asset,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee.
• “These investments in people play a critical role in both attracting and retaining talent. At the MI, our research consistently shows that team members are more likely to stay—and thrive—when they believe their employer truly cares about them. It’s not just the right thing to do; it’s a smart strategy for attracting and retaining the skilled talent that drives our industry forward.”

Everyone’s talking about where artificial intelligence is taking us, but few are discussing the immense amount of energy that will be needed to get there. That’s where Lubrizol comes in.

Cool operator: The global specialty chemicals company, with headquarters in Ohio, has a unique method of cooling IT in data centers, those behemoth facilities that power generative AI. As anyone who’s used a computer for long periods of time knows, that equipment can get hot.

• To cool high-performance data centers’ graphics processing units—powerful accelerators that enable AI and other technologies and can generate huge amounts of heat—Lubrizol employs immersion cooling, a method of heat removal that uses liquid.
• “It’s like a blacksmith—when you try to remove heat from hot metal, you immerse it in cold water and the water removes the heat,” Lubrizol Vice President of Corporate Innovation Abhishek Shrivastava told us.
• But at Lubrizol, “we are immersing the computer chips in a formulated oil” instead of water. “These GPUs are working so hard with higher power consumption, they can actually melt if they get too hot. So, you need to remove the heat quickly and efficiently.”

Why we need it: Most current data centers use air cooling, but their increasing workloads and processing capacity—driven by the fast-growing appetite for AI—will require something more efficient, Shrivastava said.

• Meanwhile, next-generation processing units will maintain a thermal design power (i.e., heat) of more than three times today’s commonly used systems, according to Lubrizol.
• “AI is needed for the future—for economic development, for global leadership,” Shrivastava said. “It will come down to who can deploy it faster.”

The tech: Lubrizol believes its method of immersion cooling—which relies on nonconducting, dielectric fluids, or liquids that act as electrical insulators—is the key to winning that race.

• “As AI infrastructure is deployed [in the U.S.], there must be efficient cooling in place too,” Shrivastava continued. “It’s going to require a lot of infrastructure-level investment.”
• Up to 40% of data centers’ total annual energy consumption goes to their cooling systems, according to a by the Electric Power Research Institute. Lubrizol’s technology greatly reduces that percentage for its customers.

Getting started: Lubrizol’s immersion cooling technology has been deployed at multiple data centers, and the company is working with its customers to scale up installations. “A lot of small players are using it, because if you’re small, your risk is low and deployment is fast, but there are some large-scale deployments across the world including in China and the U.S. that show the big players have identified the value,” Shrivastava said.

• Among the company’s next steps: getting the solution deployed at larger centers—though that will take some time. “Larger-scale operations need more data, more confidence in [new] technology,” Shrivastava noted.

Years, not decades: In the long term, however, the cost-benefit analysis is very favorable, said Shrivastava, even with infrastructure development outlay. And Shrivastava foresees widespread use of the technology.

• Awareness of the need for high-powered, efficient cooling is growing. “We’re not talking about a matter of decades” before it’s in wide use; “it’s a matter of years and months.”

The last word: “The industry needs to pick up the pace” on the data center cooling front, Shrivastava told the 51�Թ���. “Otherwise, we’re not going to realize the full potential of AI.”

The U.S. produced a record amount of energy in 2024, according to the .

What’s going on: “U.S. total energy production was more than 103 quadrillion British thermal units in 2024, a 1% increase from the previous record set in 2023. Several energy sources—natural gas, crude oil, natural gas plant liquids, biofuels, solar and wind—each set domestic production records last year.”

The details: Natural gas has been the primary source of American domestic energy production—accounting for approximately 28% of total energy production last year—every year since 2011.

• Crude “was a record 13.2 million barrels per day in 2024, 2% more than the previous record set in 2023.”
• Natural gas plant liquids, which are fuels extracted from the processing of natural gas such as ethane and propane, totaled a record 4 trillion cubic feet in 2024, up 7% from 2023 and accounting for approximately 9% of total U.S. energy production that year.

Other sources: Solar, wind and biofuels also set records in 2024.

• Solar and wind production increased by 25% and 8%, respectively, as new generating capacity was added.
• Biofuels—which comprise biodiesel, renewable diesel and ethanol, as well as other biofuels like sustainable aviation fuel—accounted for “a record 1.4 million barrels per day, up 6% from previous records set in 2023.”
• Output from geothermal declined slightly from 2023.

The 51�Թ��� says: “This data is clear evidence of the strength and success of an all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said 51�Թ��� Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin.

• “Given the growth of artificial intelligence and data centers, we will continue to need record levels of energy generation. By continuing down this path, we could reach our goal of U.S. energy dominance on the world stage.”

Manufacturing employment dipped slightly in May, losing 8,000 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the monthly employment report from the . Nonfarm payrolls overall added 139,000 jobs last month.

The details: “The unemployment rate held at 4.2% in May and has remained in a narrow range of 4.0% to 4.2% since May 2024.”

• Meanwhile, nonfarm payrolls have averaged a monthly gain of 149,000 over the past 12 months, in line with the reading from May.

In manufacturing: “In manufacturing, the average workweek was little changed at 40.1
hours, and overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours.”

• Meanwhile, average hourly earnings in manufacturing crept up from $35.11 in April to $35.28 in May on a seasonally adjusted basis.

The long view: Manufacturing employment has declined over the past year to date, yet remains above pre-pandemic levels, with 12,761,000 workers in May. The sector averaged 12,648,000 employees pre-pandemic (2017–2019).

The 51�Թ��� says: “In order to support manufacturing growth and job creation in the U.S., manufacturers are calling on Congress to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act swiftly and make pro-manufacturing tax policies permanent,” said 51�Թ��� Managing Vice President of Policy Charles Crain.