CONGRESSMAN REED VISITS NUCOR, DISCUSSES REED’S MANUFACTURING BILL

Congressman Tom Reed Monday visited local manufacturer Nucor in Chemung for a tour of the facility’s new solar panel system being installed to cut down on operating costs and improve energy efficiency. Reed was joined by Nucor Vice President and General Manager Mike Heine and George Miner, President of Southern Tier Economic Growth (STEG).

“With 95 percent of the world’s consumers living outside of the United States, it’s vitally important our domestic manufacturers are competitive and equipped to ‘make it here, sell it there’ to service all consumers,” Rep. Reed said. “The Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act I introduced in the House of Representatives will recognize the intelligence capacity of our manufacturers and create an environment where we can commercialize research and development into manufactured products and train an advanced manufacturing workforce to fill high-tech positions like those here at Nucor.”

Reed was interested in learning more about the new solar panel system being installed at the Nucor facility. Solar power is an integral part of Reed’s “all-of-the-above” approach to energy independence. “Both the energy industry and Nucor benefit from the direct industry jobs and improved efficiency solar energy provides,” Reed continued. “An ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to energy resources provides not only economic benefits to our manufacturers, but also frees the United States from political and economic pressures from global markets.”

Earlier this summer, Congressman Reed introduced the bipartisan Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013 (RAMI). The bill employs public-private partnerships, combining industry and academia to create a network of regional institutes across the country to coordinate education and training efforts. Under Reed’s bill, institutes will be selected for participation through a competitive, merit review process.  

Congressman Reed’s democratic counterpart on the manufacturing bill is Congressman Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

The next meeting of the House Manufacturing Caucus – which Reed co-chairs and recently reached 100 Members of Congress – will focus on RAMI with expert panelists in the manufacturing field. 

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