(Washington, DC) - U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-4) today presented PPG Industries with a check for $1.6 million in federal funding to develop an environmentally-responsible paint primer that prevents corrosion damage on aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force. Congressman Altmire secured this funding in the FY 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 3222) to help stimulate western Pennsylvania's economy.

"For years, aircraft in the U.S. Air Force have been sprayed with toxic paint primers that polluted our environment. The funding I presented today will put western Pennsylvanians to work on developing a paint primer that is environmentally responsible and has the potential to extend the service life of aircraft for the U.S. Air Force," Altmire said. "Bringing funding like this to western Pennsylvania is key to preserving local jobs and keeping our region at the forefront of innovation."

With the funding secured by Congressman Altmire, PPG Industries will seek to make a more environmentally-friendly coating technology, which has been used successfully in the automotive industry for years, appropriate for aircraft. This has the potential to extend service life, reduce repainting frequency, and improve combat readiness for aircraft. Once this new paint primer is developed, PPG Industries may be able to create new jobs as it moves into the production phase of the project.

"PPG is a world leader in transportation coatings and this project represents a unique opportunity to transfer some of our highly successful automotive technology to an aerospace application," said Lynne Schmidt, PPG's Vice President of Government and Community Affairs. "No company has yet been able to remove chrome from airplane application. Chrome free technology will provide huge environmental improvements to the United States military plane coating process."

The funding Altmire delivered to PPG Industries today is part of $8.16 million he secured in the FY 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 3222) to help create and support jobs in western Pennsylvania. In total, this funding is expected to create more than 50 new high-paying jobs and sustain nearly 2,000 positions in the region.