Chalk One Up for Mechanical Insulation

I have some great news to report. President Obama signed into law legislation that will fund for the first time a mechanical insulation education and awareness campaign. This is a tremendous victory and is the culmination of the tireless efforts and support from all of you, our champions in Congress, our partner the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, and GolinHarris, which navigated the path for us.

The legislation funds the Department of Energy for 2010 and provides seed funding for a mechanical insulation education campaign. On the heels of the passage of this legislation by the House of Representatives and the Senate, on October 8, we again met with the Department of Energy to provide input on shaping this educational outreach program.

We believe this funding is a good start to help launch the national awareness campaign that the Mechanical Insulation Marketing Initiative committee envisioned. But it doesn't end with this result. Additional investment from the federal government, as well as industry and other partners, is necessary to ensure we reach as many commercial, state, and local decision-makers as possible.

In addition to our work with the Department of Energy, we remain engaged with members of Congress to establish a 3-year education campaign as part of a comprehensive energy bill. Thanks to Rep. Deborah Halvorson, the bill passed by the House of Representatives last summer includes this provision. We continue to meet with Senators to promote its inclusion in the Senate bill currently being drafted and debated.

On our tax legislation efforts, we are continuing to work with key offices on Capitol Hill. Instead of a credit, we are promoting legislation to create a deduction for businesses that install or maintain mechanical insulation technologies. Lowering the tax bills for businesses that install, retrofit, or maintain mechanical insulation systems is a win-win for jobs and energy efficiency. We have had additional conversations with the key tax-writing committees (the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees) on next steps.

Meanwhile, we are preparing for our first-ever Convergence on Capitol Hill on Friday, November 6. Nearly 20 NIA Board Members will meet with their Senators and Representatives to tell the mechanical insulation story first hand to make the case for the tax deduction and the education campaign.

Let me also mention that President Obama signed an executive order on October 5 that commits every federal agency to become more energy efficient. With nearly 500,000 buildings occupied by the federal government across the country, there's an unprecedented opportunity to insert mechanical insulation into the mix and help the government achieve the goals set by the president.

Please send any thoughts you have on our efforts. It's going to be a busy month ahead, and I look forward to your input as we move forward.

Regards,
Michele M. Jones, CMP
Executive Vice President/CEO