The Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Assn. (WWEMA) has signed off on two recent letters to Congress opposing inclusion of a "Buy American" provision in the Obama Administration’s American Jobs Act of 2011.
One letter signed by 24 national organizations was sent to House and Senate leadership opposing the imposition of onerous new provisions in this Act as being counterproductive to the nation’s job-growth goals.
Its inclusion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the stimulus bill) resulted in infrastructure projects not going forward, while others faced massive delays and major cost overruns and undermined the job growth potential of that legislation, according to the letter.
A second letter was sent to the chairs of the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus, signed by WWEMA, the Associated General Contractors of America, the Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers and the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters. It stated that U.S. manufacturers lost business both domestically and in Canada when "Buy American" was included in the stimulus bill, especially in the construction, energy and water sectors.
It urged Congress to respect the highly integrated cross-border manufacturing supply chains that exist between U.S. and Canadian manufacturers, of which eight million U.S. jobs depend upon, and ensure continued reciprocity of access to each other’s market by opposing expansion of "Buy American" provisions in the president’s job bill.
Source: Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Assn. Inc.
