American industries consume 25 quadrillion BTUs annually, much of which could be saved through conservation and utilization of more efficient technologies. Senator Richard Bryan (D-NV) offered an amendment to the Senate energy bill to require the Secretary of Energy to establish voluntary energy savings targets for energy-intensive industries and to initiate an industrial energy-use reporting program for large and medium-sized companies. The final component of the amendment requires the Department of Energy to provide competitive grants to industry trade association for education and training programs in order to promote achievement of the voluntary savings targets.

Environmentalists support this amendment because of the enormous potential for cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in the industrial sector. The new energy savings targets in conjunction with the grants program could save 1 quadrillion BTUs per year by 2010 with a net economic savings of $25 billion between 1993 and 2010.

The vote is on Senator Bennett Johnston's (D-LA) motion to table (kill) the Bryan amendment. Motion to table agreed to 58-40 on February 19, 1992. NO is the pro-environment vote.