Remarks by Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA)
Massachusetts Industries of the Future
Metal Processing Industry Roundtable
Worcester Polytechnic Institute -- March 1, 2002
Thank you Paul, and thank you all for being here.
It is a pleasure to see so many companies represented here today as well as university officials, and federal and state representatives for the first metal-processing industry meeting associated with the Massachusetts Industries of the Future program.
I would also like to thank Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for hosting this roundtable. I am very proud to have WPI located in my district. WPI is not just a world class technical and engineering college, it is also one of the leading metal-processing research centers in the country. WPI has done great work to enhance the metal processing industry and having them located in Massachusetts is a great benefit to our state and our industries.
You know, manufacturing, including die casting, is an important segment of the economy in the Northeast. As the Congressman who represents central and southeastern Massachusetts, I have worked very hard in Washington to protect and promote manufacturing interests.
Since the 1980's, there has been a lot of speculation over whether or not manufacturing has a future in America. Some economists have made bleak predictions about a "Molting of America", a national downsizing of our manufacturing base and a transition to a service based economy. Does manufacturing have a future in America? In my mind, the answer is absolutely yes. Our own economy here in Massachusetts depends on it. Here in the Commonwealth 53% of our economic base is manufacturing related. Outside the I-495 corridor, its 74% of our economic base is manufacturing related. And these are good paying jobs, averaging $51,000 a year.
Maintaining our industrial infrastructure and our manufacturing base is absolutely critical to our nation's success, our economic stability and our national security in the 21st Century. This is particularly true of precision manufacturing and die casting which play such an important role in the medical technology, information and computer technology, aerospace and other high technology industries in which America leads the world.
In fact, Congress recognized the critical role of metalcasting and cast metal products in almost all aspects of the nation's manufacturing base, including energy, transportation, aerospace, mining, and national defense when it authorized the Department of Energy's original metalcasting research program in 1989. Today, the Department of Energy's "Metalcasting Industries of the Future" (Metalcasting IOF) program has grown into a highly successful energy efficiency program. Under the leadership of the Cast Metals Coalition, the industry has established a strategic research and development plan and has partnered with DOE to accelerate the development and use of new technologies.
The Metalcasting Industries of the Future focuses on the nation's nine most energy intensive industries. These nine industries account for 75% of all energy used by U.S. industry, supply over 90% of the U.S. economy's need for materials, and represents approximately 7% of GDP. The program funds basic research to reduce industrial energy consumption and minimize the environmental effects of the production process.
In fact, WPI is a leading participant in the metalcasting IOF program. Through technology transfer, the work at WPI and the other 23 educational institutions and national laboratories that perform DOE funded research benefits the thousands of small and medium-sized foundries across the country. In many cases, this is the only source of research that small shops can rely on. The program also provides long-term educational benefits by helping universities train the nation's next generation of engineers and metallurgists.
As many of you may already know, I have been a strong supporter of the Metalcasting Industries of the Future program. I was instrumental in obtaining $5.8 million for the program in the FY2001 Interior Appropriations bill. And last year I led he effort to continue funding this critical research program. In fact, the program received $5.3 million in the FY2002 Interior Appropriations bill, which is $2 million more than the Administration requested.
The Industries of the Future Program is a program for the 21st Century. It supports American industry and taps American know-how to address our environmental and energy concerns. I am glad to support this program, and I will continue to work to make sure that this program gets the level of funding that it needs.
I applaud your efforts at organizing this roundtable. I think that it is wonderful that now the industry, the universities and the state are coming together to establish a metal-processing IOF program based on our state priorities. However, as you are building stronger relationships with each other, I would also encourage you to build relationships with your state and federal representatives in Boston and Washington. That may not be something many of you have done in the past, but communicating your needs to policy makers who may affect your business is an important element to the success of your business.
Once again, I am eager to see this program blossom in our state, and I look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to Massachusetts. Thank you for inviting me here to share this important day with you, and I wish you all the best of success.
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