Released: June 2010 

Next MECS will be conducted in 2010

Table 10.21 Reasons that Made Natural Gas Unswitchable, 2006;

 Level: National Data;

 Row: NAICS Codes;

 Column: Reasons that Made Quantity Unswitchable;

 Unit: Billion cubic feet.

Total Amount of Total Amount of Equipment is Not Switching Unavailable Long-Term Unavailable Combinations of 

NAICS Natural Gas Unswitchable Capable of UsingAdversely Affects Alternative Environmenta Contract Storage for Another Columns F, G, 

Code(a) Subsector and Industry Consumed as a FueNatural Gas Fuel Use Another Fuel the Products Fuel SupplyRestrictions(b)in Place(c)Alternative Fuels(d Reason H, I, J, and K Don't Know

Total United States

311 Food 618 379 275 Q 4 50 3 1 0 12 28

 3112 Grain and Oilseed Milling 115 81 67 * 0 4 * * 0 1 8

 311221 Wet Corn Milling 51 44 37 * 0 1 0 0 0 * 6

 31131 Sugar Manufacturing 17 10 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1

 3114 Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Foo 123 58 50 * * 3 * 0 0 1 2

 3115 Dairy Products 80 58 48 Q * * * 1 0 1 2

 3116 Animal Slaughtering and Processing 141 92 48 * 1 30 1 * 0 4 6

312 Beverage and Tobacco Products 40 16 11 0 * 1 0 * 0 3 Q

 3121 Beverages 37 16 10 0 0 1 0 * 0 3 Q

 3122 Tobacco 3 1 * 0 * * 0 0 0 0 *

313 Textile Mills 63 32 Q 0 * 0 0 0 0 2 Q

314 Textile Product Mills 45 7 5 0 Q * 0 0 0 * *

315 Apparel 7 2 2 0 0 0 * 0 0 0 *

316 Leather and Allied Products 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *

321 Wood Products 84 47 39 1 Q 1 0 * 0 1 4

 321113 Sawmills 12 5 4 * * 1 0 * 0 * *

 3212 Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Woods 44 35 30 * Q * 0 0 0 1 Q

 3219 Other Wood Products 27 6 5 * * * 0 0 0 * 1

322 Paper 461 324 246 1 8 21 1 * 0 31 17

 322110 Pulp Mills 13 7 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 *

 322121 Paper Mills, except Newsprint 169 120 84 * 7 5 0 * 0 17 6

 322122 Newsprint Mills 8 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 322130 Paperboard Mills 138 91 64 1 1 10 1 * 0 9 6

323 Printing and Related Support 38 24 18 Q * 0 0 0 0 Q 2

324 Petroleum and Coal Products 825 632 558 * 4 16 * 4 0 32 18

 324110 Petroleum Refineries 766 595 528 * 4 16 0 2 0 31 15

 324199 Other Petroleum and Coal Products 3 2 1 * * * 0 0 0 * *

325 Chemicals 1,355 1,121 954 2 3 31 13 2 0 68 49

 325110 Petrochemicals 107 98 61 0 * 0 0 0 0 W W

 325120 Industrial Gases 13 12 9 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1

 325181 Alkalies and Chlorine 103 76 76 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 *

 325182 Carbon Black 10 8 4 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0

 325188 Other Basic Inorganic Chemicals 52 40 30 * * 1 Q * 0 3 4

 325192 Cyclic Crudes and Intermediates 15 8 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 *

 325193 Ethyl Alcohol 80 60 53 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 2

 325199 Other Basic Organic Chemicals 298 251 211 0 1 7 8 * 0 8 15

 325211 Plastics Materials and Resins 324 289 277 * * 3 1 1 0 2 6

 325212 Synthetic Rubber 25 21 18 0 0 * 0 * 0 2 *

 325222 Noncellulosic Organic Fibers 33 10 3 0 0 * * * 0 6 0

 325311 Nitrogenous Fertilizers 113 112 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7

 325312 Phosphatic Fertilizers 11 10 10 0 * 0 0 * 0 1 *

 3254 Pharmaceuticals and Medicines 45 21 15 0 * 2 2 * 0 1 1

 325412 Pharmaceutical Preparation 30 15 11 0 * 1 2 * 0 * *

 325992 Photographic Film, Paper, Plate, and Chemicals 7 5 3 0 0 2 * 0 0 0 *

326 Plastics and Rubber Products 124 50 39 1 * Q * Q 0 Q 4

327 Nonmetallic Mineral Products 446 271 231 5 1 3 * * 0 14 16

 327211 Flat Glass 50 21 17 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 *

 327212 Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Q Q Q 1 1 0 0 * 0 * 2

 327213 Glass Containers 49 34 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

 327215 Glass Products from Purchased Glass 50 13 12 * * * * 0 0 * *

 327310 Cements 19 11 10 0 0 * * 0 0 * 1

 327410 Lime 5 5 4 * * 0 0 0 0 * *

 327420 Gypsum 74 62 61 0 0 * 0 0 0 1 *

 327993 Mineral Wool 33 22 17 * * 0 * 0 0 1 3

331 Primary Metals 568 444 369 1 34 10 2 3 0 9 17

Reasons that Made Natural Gas Unswitchable
Released: June 2010 

Next MECS will be conducted in 2010

Table 10.21 Reasons that Made Natural Gas Unswitchable, 2006;

 Level: National Data;

 Row: NAICS Codes;

 Column: Reasons that Made Quantity Unswitchable;

 Unit: Billion cubic feet.

Total Amount of Total Amount of Equipment is Not Switching Unavailable Long-Term Unavailable Combinations of 

NAICS Natural Gas Unswitchable Capable of UsingAdversely Affects Alternative Environmenta Contract Storage for Another Columns F, G, 

Code(a) Subsector and Industry Consumed as a FueNatural Gas Fuel Use Another Fuel the Products Fuel SupplyRestrictions(b)in Place(c)Alternative Fuels(d Reason H, I, J, and K Don't Know

Reasons that Made Natural Gas Unswitchable

 331111 Iron and Steel Mills 317 258 210 0 33 3 0 1 0 3 7

 331112 Electrometallurgical Ferroalloy Products 1 1 1 0 0 0 * 0 0 0 0

 3312 Steel Products from Purchased Steel 25 20 18 * * * * * 0 * 1

 3313 Alumina and Aluminum 113 89 81 0 * * * 0 0 2 4

 331314 Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum 17 13 10 0 * * 0 0 0 1 2

 331315 Aluminum Sheet, Plate and Foils 36 28 26 0 * 0 0 0 0 * 2

 331316 Aluminum Extruded Products 17 9 8 0 * * * 0 0 1 *

 3314 Nonferrous Metals, except Aluminum 42 28 18 * 0 6 0 1 0 2 1

 3315 Foundries 70 48 41 1 1 * 1 1 0 * 3

 331511 Iron Foundries 23 16 15 * * * * * 0 * *

 331521 Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries 15 10 7 * * 0 1 * 0 * 1

 331524 Aluminum Foundries, except Die-Casting 13 6 5 0 0 0 0 * 0 * 1

332 Fabricated Metal Products 234 167 145 * Q * * Q 0 Q 2

333 Machinery 82 46 33 Q Q 0 0 0 0 Q Q

334 Computer and Electronic Products 44 25 16 * * 1 * 0 0 2 Q

 334413 Semiconductors and Related Devices 18 12 7 0 * 1 * 0 0 2 Q

335 Electrical Equip., Appliances, and Components 40 26 21 * Q 0 0 Q 0 Q 2

336 Transportation Equipment 242 188 167 * Q 3 Q * 0 10 5

 336111 Automobiles 21 15 13 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 2

 336112 Light Trucks and Utility Vehicles 24 19 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 *

 3364 Aerospace Product and Parts 30 20 16 0 * 3 * * 0 * 1

 336411 Aircraft 8 5 2 0 * 2 0 0 0 0 *

337 Furniture and Related Products 16 10 8 0 0 0 0 Q 0 * 1

339 Miscellaneous 24 18 14 * * 0 * 0 0 0 4

Total 5,357 3,828 3,178 23 68 141 19 14 0 205 180

 (a) The Bureau of the Census classifies establishments using the North American

Industry Classification System (NAICS). 

 (b) The environmental resrictions related to air quality that limit the amount of 

the usable alternative fuel that could be used instead.

 (c) Long-term contracts are typically with a utility or third-party supplier 

such as an energy broker and requires the purchase of a fuel for an extended 

amount of time. 

 (d) The storage of usable alternative fuels is not available due to the potential

environmental impact of storage tanks.

 NF=No applicable RSE row/column factor.

 * Estimate less than 0.5.

 W=Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual establishments.

 Q=Withheld because Relative Standard Error is greater than 50 percent.

 NA=Not available.

 Notes: To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the cell's

corresponding RSE column and RSE row factors. Totals may not equal sum of

components because of independent rounding. Establishment percents may not

equal 100 percent because of unknown and/or unreported fuel-switching guesstimate.

 Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End

Use, Energy Consumption Division, Form EIA-846, '2006 Manufacturing Energy

Consumption Survey.'