Among the panelists addressing industrial energy efficiency at the Western Governors Association today is Don Sturtevant, energy manager for Simplot Corp., the company where Idaho Gov. Butch Otter worked for 30 years. "When I was there, it took 27,000 BTUs to make one pound of french fries," Otter said. Sturtevant said, "I'm happy to say we're now 2,600 BTUs per pound of french fries, and we're continually driving that down." He said of Simplot Corp., "We are a large french fry manufacturer, fertilizer manufacturer, and hold a lot of land and cattle. We use a lot of energy. ... It can be ... our single largest uncontrolled expense. ... We have good incentives to go after energy efficiency."

After Sturtevant's comments, Otter joked, "With all these savings I fully expect my retirement check to go up."