The EPA recently released a new interactive, web-based tool that provides information about the environmental and economic performance of industry sectors. The sector snapshots application shows comprehensive, historical environmental and economic performance on a sector basis and allows users to visualize the data over the past 20 years.
The first modules to be released showcase three sectors: iron and steel, chemical manufacturing, and utilities and power generation. EPA plans to release modules for other sectors on a rolling basis.
“America’s chemical manufacturers are leaders in providing materials and technologies that enhance sustainability while helping our economy grow,” said American Chemistry Council Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs Michael Walls. “We are equally committed to making strides in our own operations, as reflected in our participation in Responsible Care®, the industry’s environmental, health, safety and security performance initiative. EPA’s new sector snapshot will be a valuable tool to help guide future efforts to ‘connect the dots’ between environmental and economic progress.”
The new online tool will serve as “a visual benchmark for key trends within the specialty chemical sector,” said Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates President and CEO Jennifer Abril. “It will be instrumental in helping the public understand the positive economic impact the chemical industry has on our society, as well as showcasing the significant strides our sector continues to make in environmental stewardship.”
“Today’s manufacturing is cleaner, more efficient and more responsible than ever — as this new tool illustrates so well,” said Ross Eisenberg, vice president of energy and resources policy, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). “Manufacturers are driving innovation and keeping our promise to be good stewards of the environment and supporters of our communities. The NAM appreciates the EPA’s work to provide the public the best data available on the manufacturing sector’s environmental performance.”
“The electric power industry contributes 5 percent to our nation’s GDP; we call this the first 5 percent of the American economy, because virtually every other sector of the economy depends, to a significant degree, on safe, reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy delivered by the men and women of the electric power industry,” said Edison Electric Institute Vice President of Environment and Natural Resources Quin Shea. “Our industry has made tremendous progress to transition to a cleaner generating fleet, reducing greenhouse gas emissions 27 percent below 2005 levels as of the end of 2017.”
The sector snapshots tool uses public data from EPA and other federal sources. The application offers users access to information about general sector characteristics, environmental performance indicators and economic data through interactive graphics. Users can select environmental and economic indicators individually or paired combinations of indicators to view trends over time.
For more information, visit www.epa.gov/smartsectors/sector-snap shots.
