Webb backs bill to protect heating assistance
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) yesterday joined a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the LIHEAP Protection Act, which would restore funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Earlier this year, the Obama Administration proposed a 45 percent cut in funds for the program, which is structured to help low-income families and seniors on fixed-incomes with their energy bills. The current House and Senate appropriations bills would only partially restore this severe cut.
“For thousands of seniors and low-income families across Virginia, home energy costs have increased beyond their ability to keep up,” said Sen. Webb. “This critical legislation will help ensure they receive the energy assistance they need to make it through the winter.”
According to the Manager of the Energy Assistance Program within the Virginia Department of Social Services, LIHEAP provided vital heating assistance to 144,726 households across the Commonwealth last year—an increase of more than 33 percent since 2008. A record number of households are widely expected to be served again in 2012.
If funding for LIHEAP is not finalized before winter, millions of households run the risk of not receiving assistance during the coldest months. Given the uncertainty regarding LIHEAP funding, some states have already begun lowering LIHEAP grant amounts.
Sen. Webb has been a strong supporter of the LIHEAP program. In 2007, he fought efforts by the Bush administration to cut LIHEAP funding in half and later worked to ensure swifter disbursement of funds during the historically cold winter of 2009 and early 2010. In December 2010, he joined a similar effort that successfully preserved LIHEAP funding for FY2011.
Webb, Warner announce $200M for economic development
Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner today announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology will invest $212,800 in GENEDGE ALLIANCE, a statewide manufacturing support program based at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia. Both Senators have consistently supported federal funding in Congress for the program, which supports industrial and manufacturing jobs by helping private businesses across the Commonwealth compete and succeed.
“I have been a big supporter of this concept, where high-quality advisors help small and mid-sized companies compete nationally,” said Sen. Webb. “The GENEDGE ALLIANCE manufacturing program is a strong example of a public-private partnership that will strengthen Virginia communities and invigorate local economies.”
“The GENEDGE ALLIANCE is a good example of a smart federal grant program that consistently produces a measurable return on investment,” Sen. Warner said. “GENEDGE consultants have helped employers across the Commonwealth upgrade processes and increase their growth opportunities. This grant represents a targeted investment that will strengthen Virginia’s economy and workforce.”
Since 1992, Virginia’s GENEDGE ALLIANCE has provided comprehensive services that produce quantifiable results for the companies they serve. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) works in conjunction with companies to provide high quality analysis that helps companies increase productivity, lower costs, identify growth opportunities, improve technology application, and strengthen production. For every $1 invested in GENEDGE ALLIANCE assistance and service, $36 has been returned to the client’s bottom line, and descriptions of many GENEDGE ALLIANCE success stories from across Virginia can be found here.
GENEDGE ALLIANCE is a network affiliate of NIST-MEP, a national network of more than 59 affiliate centers, bringing enterprise expertise to over 149,000 businesses across the United States. GENEDGE ALLIANCE field offices are located throughout Virginia and their partnerships with the Old Dominion University Business Gateway (ODUBG) at Old Dominion University and the Manufacturing Technology Center (MTC) in Wytheville support companies across the Commonwealth.
Webb, Warner critical of administration on offshore-drilling plan
A five-year oil and gas leasing plan announced today by the Obama administration omits Virginia from the plan. Virginia Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner responded by urging the administration to reconsider.
“Oil and gas exploration within the Virginia Outer Continental Shelf – if coupled with an equitable formula for sharing revenues between the state and federal governments – would boost domestic energy production, while benefiting the Commonwealth’s economy,” Webb said.
“I will be strongly urging the administration to take another look at including Virginia in its five-year plan. Sen. Webb and I will continue to pursue our legislation that updates the current map of the Outer Continental Shelf to better reflect Virginia’s share of offshore energy resources. Importantly, our legislation also would allow for revenue sharing between the state and federal governments,” Warner said.
In July, Webb and Warner introduced the Virginia Outer Continental Shelf Energy Production Act of 2011, which included revenue-sharing provisions and would expand the federal government’s map of the mid-Atlantic exploration area to more accurately reflect the extent of Virginia’s coastal resources. In 2008, Webb cosponsored similar legislation with Republican Sen. John Warner.
Webb pushes FEMA on Louisa denial
Sen. Jim Webb today asked Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate to explain FEMA’s rationale for refusing to grant a federal disaster declaration to Louisa County following the August 23 earthquake.
“Louisa County has documented close to 1000 damaged homes, including a number of homes that were completely destroyed,” said Webb in a letter to Administrator Fugate. “More troubling, is the fact that the overwhelming majority of residents in this rural community lack adequate earthquake insurance protection, necessitating government assistance in a time of great need.”
The full text of Sen. Webb’s letter below:
Dear Administrator Fugate:
I write to express concern over FEMA’s recent refusal to grant Louisa County a federal disaster declaration following the August 23 earthquake in Virginia.
As you know, the 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Louisa County—felt by millions across the east coast—was the strongest quake to hit the Commonwealth in over a hundred years.
Louisa County has documented close to 1000 damaged homes, including a number of homes that were completely destroyed. The quake caused structural damage to churches, schools, and even caused the shutdown of nuclear power stations in North Anna. More troubling, is the fact that the overwhelming majority of residents in this rural community lack adequate earthquake insurance protection, necessitating government assistance in a time of great need.
In order to help this community overcome the devastation caused by the earthquake, I request that you provide my office the following:
1—a detailed rationale for your denial of disaster declaration for Louisa County;
2—your recommendations to the Commonwealth on how to effectively appeal and reverse FEMA’s original decision; and
3—identification of alternative funding mechanisms through FEMA and other federal agencies that can mitigate the disaster impacts on citizens of the Commonwealth.
Given the urgency of this issue to the citizens of Louisa County, I respectfully request that you provide me with a response as soon as possible.
Webb introduces legislation to stop technology drift to China
Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) today introduced legislation to stop technologies developed with the support of U.S. taxpayers from being given away to China or other countries.
Many American companies operating in China are required to transfer their intellectual property and proprietary technology to China as a prerequisite for doing business there. Many of these technologies were developed using U.S. tax dollars through grants, loans, loan guarantees and other federal incentives in order to make America competitive and create American jobs.
“If taxpayers supported the development of the technology, they own a piece of it and it can’t just be given away,” said Webb. “Federal dollars that go toward R&D funding, loan guarantees, and public-private partnerships in order to help develop the next generation of technologies here are supposed to be making American businesses competitive and generate American jobs—not to help develop other industries, such as those in China.”
“In cases where technologies are developed with the support of the American taxpayer, my legislation prohibits companies from transferring the technology to countries that by law, practice, or policy require proprietary technology transfers as a matter of doing business,” continued Senator Webb. “The transfer of publicly supported proprietary technologies by American firms to China — and potentially other countries — clearly and unequivocally places the competitive advantage of the American economy at risk.”
Examples of China profiting from U.S. taxpayer-funded technologies:
· General Electric has transferred valuable aviation avionics technology to state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The U.S. government has long supported the aviation industry through procurement initiatives and federal research projects. The fruits of U.S. taxpayer support will now be incorporated into Chinese commercial airliners, in line with Beijing’s desire to develop an internationally competitive aircraft industry that could rival U.S.-based Boeing. (Source: The Washington Post)
· Westinghouse Electric has transferred more than 75,000 documents to Chinese counterparts as the initial phase of a technology transfer agreement in exchange for a share in China’s growing nuclear market. These documents relate to the construction of four third-generation AP1000 reactors that Westinghouse is building in China. U.S. taxpayers supported the development of the AP1000 as well its predecessor, the AP600, through decades of nuclear energy research and development at the Department of Energy (DOE). Moreover, the DOE Nuclear Power 2010 program provided years of government support for the design and licensing of this reactor. (Source: The Financial Times)
· Ford Motor Company is looking to share certain proprietary technologies for electric vehicles in exchange for selling cars in China. The electric vehicle sector has enjoyed significant federal R&D funding, loan guarantees, and public-private partnerships funded by U.S. taxpayers. In 2009, Ford Motor Co. received a $5.9 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to advance its vehicle technology manufacturing program. (Source: The New York Times)
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce report warns that China’s “persistent” intellectual property theft is “compounded by the indigenous innovation industrial policies which compel technology transfers in order to have access to the China market.”
In a January 2010 letter to Obama Administration officials, the heads of 19 U.S. business and industry associations—including the Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Chamber of Commerce—wrote of “[s]ystematic efforts by China to develop policies that build their domestic enterprises at the expense of U.S. firms and U.S. intellectual property.”
Webb joins in legislation to make gun regs consistent on federal rec lands
Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA) and John Boozman (R-AR) today introduced legislation to make gun regulations consistent across all federal recreational lands by bringing Army Corps of Engineers rules in line with other federal agencies. Last Congress, legislation was signed into law allowing individuals to possess firearms in the National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, provided they are not breaking state laws or otherwise prohibited from possessing the firearms. However, current regulations prohibit these same rights on many of the lands operated by the Army Corps.
“Gun owners need to know that they can exercise their Second Amendment rights when they are legally camping, hiking or fishing in our nation’s parks and recreational lands,” said Sen. Webb. “This bipartisan bill would provide consistent rules for all federal lands rather than the current patchwork of regulations where the Army Corps has different rules than the Parks Service.”
“Gun owners must be allowed to defend themselves on federal lands. This is important to protecting our constitutional rights and we owe it to law abiding gun owners to address this national gun issue,” said Sen. Boozman.
The Recreational Land Self –Defense Act would prohibit the Secretary of the Army from enforcing any regulation that keeps an individual from possessing firearms on Army Corps Water Resource Development projects or facilities. The legislation would not change the current legal prohibition of guns and dangerous weapons in federal facilities, such as the Corps Head Quarters, Engineering Research Facilities, and lock and dam buildings. The House of Representatives recently passed similar legislation as an amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill (H.R. 2354).
The Army Corps is the nation’s largest federal provider of water-based recreation, overseeing 400 lakes and river projects, 90,000 campsites and 4,000 miles of trails. For a state-by-state listing of Corps-operated lands visit
http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm.
Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are original cosponsors of the legislation, which is strongly supported by the National Rifle Association.
The text of the bill is available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/65785124/The-Recreational-Land-Self-Defense-Act.
Webb: Stop sending China money
Sens. Jim Webb and James Inhofe, chair and ranking member of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, called on Friday for an end to U.S. development aid to China, now the world’s second-largest economy.
Since 2001, the U.S. has provided more than $275 million in direct assistance to China for projects such as expanding internet access and improving public transportation. In addition, China receives billions from multilateral institutions like the United Nations, to which the U.S. is among the largest contributors.
“With more than $3 trillion in foreign exchange reserves and a double digit economic growth rate, China certainly has the financial resources to…care for its citizens without relying on U.S. assistance,” the senators wrote to appropriators. “As the committee reviews current appropriations bills, we would request that in FY2012 you end all U.S. aid to China—other than programs that assist the people of Tibet or promote respect for human rights and democracy in China—and direct our representatives at international organizations to work to end multilateral aid to China.”
China currently owns $1.2 trillion of U.S. Treasury debt and has launched its own multi-billion dollar foreign assistance program to rival the U.S.
Both the United Kingdom and Australia announced this year that they will no longer provide direct assistance to China.
