text: | October 18, 2012 U.S. Luring Manufacturers Away From China? Low-cost energy fuels U.S. Manufacturing and Jobs Renaissance, Says Elliott Gue in Energy & Income Advisor
  Since China must import much of its energy, manufacturing costs there continue to escalate. Meanwhile, the U.S. looks "cheap" to manufacturers that are building energy-efficient plants fired by our low-cost natural gas. Recent shale oil and gas discoveries in the U.S. have sent natural gas prices to the floor, while natural gas costs in countries around the globe are up to three times higher. And manufacturers are waking up to the fact that U.S. energy production costs are now lower than anywhere else. After years of shifting their operations to Asia, Dow Chemical and other multinational chemical producers are building new plants in the U.S. Mega steelmaker Severstal recently expanded its Mississippi and Michigan plants and Airbus unveiled plans for a giant new factory in Alabama.