E3-Economy, Energy, and the Environment

National Information

National E3 homepage

Resource

A new website dedicated to E3: bringing together federal agencies, states and local communities for a broad discussion on how to connect respective programs to deliver responsive, coordinated solutions in a manufacturing environment.

Contact Information

Pollution Prevention and Innovation Team
U.S. EPA Region 4
r4sustainability@epa.gov

E3 in Region 4

E3—Economy, Energy, and Environment—is a coordinated federal, state, and local technical assistance initiative that helps communities work with their manufacturing base to adapt and thrive in a new business era focused on sustainability. E3 provides manufacturers with customized, hands-on assessments of production processes to reduce energy consumption, minimize their carbon footprint, prevent pollution, increase productivity, and drive innovation. EPA Region 4 is supporting E3 initiatives in five out of the eight southeastern states through project management, development of tools and communication products, grant funds, and training funds.

Alabama

The Alabama Technology Network (ATN), part of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology-Manufacturing Extension Partnership under the Department of Commerce, is the lead organization for E3 implementation in Alabama.

ATN has assembled a broad range of stakeholders in the state and in the communities of Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Huntsville to work on two phases of the E3 initiative. The first phase is working with suppliers to the automotive industry and the second is to expand the E3 offerings to other manufacturers in the state.

Primarily through Department of Energy and Department of Commerce funds, ATN has worked with its partners to conduct over 30 assessments with manufacturers. In 2011, ATN has identified over $600,000 in savings, over 11.5 million kilowatt hours of reduced energy use, and over 31,000 metric tons of reduced carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

State and local partners of the E3 initiative include:

Alabama Power;
Alabama Gas Corporation;
Tennessee Valley Authority;
Green Jobs Alliance;
Alabama Governor’s Office of Workforce Development;
the Small Business Development Centers in Alabama;
the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs;
the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association; and
the Mayor’s offices of Tuscaloosa, Huntsville and Montgomery.

With support from the EPA Office of Environmental Justice, Region 4 is developing training tools for underserved communities seeking to enter into green and sustainable manufacturing careers. (See also Green Economy and Green Jobs.) The overall goal of the manufacturing effort is the development of a Green Automotive Readiness Program that is transferrable to other manufacturing industries. The purpose of this program is to bolster the Alabama green economy by helping its citizens get a head start on the green and environmental aspects for which existing employees in the automotive industry are currently being trained. In addition to the Alabama E3 Partners, this effort includes:

Kentucky

Region 4 is supporting the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) in developing a Kentucky E3 initiative through a Source Reduction Assistance Grant. KPPC will develop a Kentucky E3 initiative focused on helping select manufacturers within the Commonwealth succeed in a sustainable business environment. Kentucky E3 will be based on the national E3 initiative, which is a collaborative effort involving five federal agencies, state and local governments, utilities, and manufacturers to support sustainability, boost competitiveness, and spur job growth and innovation in local and regional economies.

Initial project stakeholders include:

Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence – Division of Efficiency and Conservation;
Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection;
Kentucky Manufacturing Assistance Center;
U.S. Small Business Administration – KY District Office;
Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet – Office of Employment and Training;
Representatives from various utilities in the state.

North Carolina

North Carolina State University's Industrial Extension Service (IES), part of the NIST-MEP under the Department of Commerce, was awarded $1.3 million to lead an E3 initiative in the state. IES has also received funding from the North Carolina Rural Fund to implement an E3 initiative in Burke and Cleveland Counties in North Carolina that targets textile and furniture manufacturers.

Partners in the North Carolina E3 initiative include:

Piedmont Triad Workforce Development;
North Carolina Department of Natural Resources – Division of Environmental Assistance and Outreach;
Duke Energy;
the Small Business Development Center;
Progress Energy;
Waste Reduction Partners; and
local governments.

South Carolina

The SC Department of Health & Environmental Control, Center for Environmental Sustainability and South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership is working to implement E3 with South Carolina manufacturers. The partnership has completed one E3 assessment in the state and depending on available funding aims to complete an additional six to eight assessments from 2011-2013.

Partners include:

Duke Energy;
The Upstate Workforce Investment Board; and
The Small Business Development Center.