Industry

Partnership Aimed at Bolstering Ohio's Aerospace Industry through More Contracts with Airbus

October 28, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor announced the formalization of a partnership between Airbus and Ohio suppliers aimed at growing Ohio’s aerospace industry. They were joined by leaders from Ohio’s aerospace and technology communities, including the Ohio Aerospace Institute and Ohio’s Edison Technology Centers. These partners will co-host a set of procurement conferences to help facilitate more business between Ohio companies and Airbus.    » read more »

October 16, 2009 -- Washington, DC - In response to a statement from the American Meat Institute that said that the E. coli Eradication Act authored by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand would only "duplicate" testing currently being done by the industry, Senator Gillibrand said that in the absence of corporate responsibility, Congress must act.

"The meat industry makes some valuable points about the need to handle and cook ground beef carefully, but they are choosing to ignore their own best practices. Leading processors in the industry, like Costco, have already determined that they cannot rely on suppliers alone to test the meat. Costco says that testing the meat they receive from slaughterhouses is ‘incumbent upon' them, and I agree.    » read more »

Projects Aim to Accelerate Adoption of Solar Energy and Develop Solar Workforce

October 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – At the opening of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon on the National Mall, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced up to $87 million will be made available to support the development of new solar energy technologies and the rapid deployment of available carbon-free solar energy systems. Of this funding, $50 million comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »

22nd Forum to Feature 34 Clean Energy Companies

October 9, 2009 -- Thirty-four clean energy companies will present their business cases to a panel of investors and industry experts in Denver Nov. 3-5 as the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) hosts the 22nd NREL Industry Growth Forum.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- October 8, 2009 -- A new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) highlights successful program strategies to realize the large potential energy savings in the industrial sector. Released today, Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs: Identifying Today’s Leaders and Tomorrow’s Needs finds that industrial sector energy savings have remained untapped by many existing publicly funded energy efficiency programs.    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- SPOKANE – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today joined more than 200 aerospace executives at the 3rd annual Governor’s Aerospace Summit in Spokane, where she discussed “The Business Case for Consolidating Boeing 787 Assembly in Washington,” and other advantages for the aerospace industry in Washington state.

“In Washington, we’ve built a home that encourages aerospace,” Gregoire said. “Our basic taxes, including property, sales and business and occupation taxes are below or very near the comparable taxes in our competitor states. We’ve reduced the B&O tax rate for aerospace, and created credits for new buildings, new machinery, and land used for manufacturing to ensure our aerospace companies statewide succeed.”    » read more »

Red Venture llc To Invest $27 Million In New Lancaster County Operations

Columbia, S.C. - October 7, 2009 - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford today joined with the Department of Commerce and Lancaster County community in welcoming Red Venture LLC as they expand operations and move their headquarters to South Carolina.

The decision by Charlotte-based Red Venture LLC, an internet technology company named the 17th fastest growing private firm in the United States by Inc. magazine last year, will mean 1,000 new high-paying jobs and a $27 million investment for Lancaster County.    » read more »

October 6, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced approval of key state incentives to help move forward the transformation of the idled Wixom Assembly plant into a renewable energy production center. The project, announced last month and subject to approval of Department of Energy loan guarantees that the companies recently applied for, is expected to directly employ an estimated 4,000 workers.

"Michigan is aggressively targeting clean-energy companies, because we are determined to continue diversifying our economy and creating thousands of new green jobs," Granholm said. "Our innovative economic development incentives are helping bring projects like this one to Michigan."    » read more »

October 7, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today opened the final symposium of Maine’s North Star Alliance Initiative (NSAI). The initiative was created from a $14.4 million U.S. Department of Labor WIRED grant received in 2006. The grant enabled the promotion of the major workforce and economic development initiative in Maine targeting the economic cluster that includes the industries of boatbuilding, composites and marine trades.

The industry-driven, industry-focused project was established to grow these industries through workforce development, R&D, market outreach and infrastructure development.    » read more »

October 6, 2009 -- Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today announced that Indiana will receive $2.86 million to clean up and revitalize brownfield areas. The funds were awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program.

The grants will help improve abandoned and underused industrial and commercial lands by cleaning and restoring them for future use in Indiana communities. The Indiana Finance Authority will receive $2.5 million for the Indiana Revolving Loan Fund, while the City of South Bend has been awarded $360,000 for a brownfield revolving loan.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined labor and environmental leaders to unveil a new report on climate change legislation and jobs. The report – with a state-by-state and industry breakdown – shows that industries supporting more than 4 million jobs could be at risk unless Congress maintains the competitiveness of energy-intensive, trade-sensitive manufacturers in any climate change legislation.    » read more »

Savannah, Ga—Several international unions representing hundreds of thousands of chemical and food industry workers today again criticized the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) for not recommending strong standards to prevent deadly explosions in factories handling combustible dusts, despite the board’s prior endorsement of such a step.

The unions reacted to the CSB’s new report on the deadly sugar dust explosion on Feb. 7, 2008, at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, Ga. The explosion killed fourteen people, injured scores of others and severely damaged the plant.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- Washington, DC – From the floor of the U.S. Senate Tuesday, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) called for greater transparency in the oil, gas and mineral industries in an effort to fight corruption and promote stability in nations rich in such resources. Senator Cardin and Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN) (D-RI), have introduced S. 1700, the Energy Security Through Transparency Act of 2009, which would provide for public disclosure of payments to oil, gas and mineral extraction companies through mandatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, along with co-sponsors Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Sheldon Whitehouse    » read more »

Statement of Lena Pons, Policy Analyst, Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division

Sept. 15, 2009 -- The Obama administration proposed a historic step forward today that would reduce our nation’s oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed standards it announced for fuel economy and emissions would save 1.3 million barrels of oil per day in 2020 and save drivers about $26 billion per year in 2020, based on the current price of gas.

Under the proposal, automakers would have to raise the average gas mileage across their fleets to 35.5 miles per gallon and reduce carbon dioxide to 250 grams per mile by 2016.    » read more »

DOE and Industry Plot Course for Major Efficiency Improvements

September 10, 2009 -- DETROIT, MI – The U.S. Department of Energy and Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm joined with over 300 industry, state, and federal leaders to recognize industrial efficiency leaders and plot a course to accelerate industrial energy efficiency in the Midwest.    » read more »