Ohio

As Vice President Biden Conducts Middle Class Task Force Meeting in Ohio, Brown Outlines Need for Robust National Manufacturing Policy

June 23, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - As Vice President Biden conducts a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force in Ohio today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) outlined the need for a robust national manufacturing policy. Brown, a longtime proponent of domestic manufacturing, outlined ways to strengthen the nation's manufacturing base and rebuild the middle class in a letter sent to Vice President Biden.

"Ohio and the middle class need a robust plan for manufacturing and economic recovery that will promote a high wage, productive, and sustainable economy," Brown said in a letter to Vice President Biden.    » read more »

June 18, 2009 -- PIKETON, OHIO -- Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today joined executives from Duke Energy, AREVA, USEC Inc., UniStar Nuclear Energy and the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) to announce the formation of an alliance to pursue the development of America's first clean energy park project at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) site in Piketon, Ohio.

Known as the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance, the partnership will evaluate the DOE Portsmouth site in Piketon, Ohio, as a potential location for a new nuclear power plant, including preparing a plant siting study and licensing documents for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).    » read more »

June 18, 2009 -- Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that Ohio’s plan for the Home Weatherization Assistance Program has been approved by the U.S. Department of Energy. Approval of the plan authorizes the expenditure of 40 percent, or $106 million, of the state’s approximately $266 million in Home Weatherization Assistance Program funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.    » read more »

June 18, 2009 -- Piketon, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today joined executives from Duke Energy, AREVA, USEC Inc., UniStar Nuclear Energy and the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI) to announce the formation of an alliance to pursue the development of America’s first clean energy park project at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) site in Piketon, Ohio.

Known as the Southern Ohio Clean Energy Park Alliance, the partnership will evaluate the DOE Portsmouth site in Piketon, Ohio, as a potential location for a new nuclear power plant, including preparing a plant siting study and licensing documents for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).    » read more »

Eco-Engineers from The Ohio State University Win 2009 EcoCAR Competition

TORONTO, CANADA, June 12, 2009 -- Today university students from The Ohio State University earned top honors at the 2009 finals of the EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge competition in Toronto, Canada for their design of an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). The Ohio State University took first place out of 17 universities in the U.S. and Canada that competed in the first major milestone of this three-year competition which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, and many others including the Government of Canada.    » read more »

Senator Sherrod Brown Announces More Than $1 Billion in Education Funding for Ohio; Funding to Save Jobs, Promote Long-Term Education Reform

June 10, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that more than $1 billion in funds is available from the U.S. Department of Education to save jobs and drive reform at schools across Ohio. The funds are available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“Investing in Ohio’s education system is about ensuring the long-term success of our students and the economic competitiveness of our state,” Brown said. “This funding will help attract and retain high-quality teachers in Ohio.”    » read more »

Ohio Ranks 15th in Nation for Food Insecurity; Legislation Would Expand USDA Program to Include Ohio

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced his support for legislation that would expand existing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) after-school nutrition programs to include Ohio and 39 other states. The After-School Flexibility to Expand Reimbursement for School Meals Act (AFTERSchool Meals Act), introduced by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Dick Lugar (R-IN), and cosponsored by Brown, would make institutions eligible for reimbursement for meals provided to at-risk school children during after-school hours.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- Columbus, OH - Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio Air Quality Development Authority Executive Director Mark Shanahan today announced that a Perrysburg solar panel manufacturer and a clean coal power plant to be built along the Ohio River in Meigs County have been selected to receive the first two funding awards from the $150 million advanced energy portion of the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan.

“The first two recipients of these funds are great examples of how investing in advanced energy technologies is stimulating Ohio’s economy,” said Strickland. “The impacts of President Obama’s recovery act and our bipartisan state stimulus package are becoming evident – we are creating the jobs of the future in Ohio today.”    » read more »

In Letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, Brown Urges Department Listening Session on Challenges Faced by Ohio’s Dairy Farmers

June 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), today wrote to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding challenges faced by dairy farmers in Ohio and across the country.

“Our nation’s dairy industry is in jeopardy,” Brown wrote in his letter to Vilsack. “If nothing is done to address the profitability of our nation’s dairy farms, I am concerned that a staggering number of them will be forced to shut down. The loss of dairy farms would harm thousands of rural communities where agriculture and dairy are the primary sources of income.”    » read more »

"Stimulus Should Be Used to Create Jobs, Not Relocate Them"

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today regarding a plan by the city of Columbus, Georgia to request economic recovery funds to help support the relocation of NCR from Dayton, Ohio. Brown urged Locke to prevent economic recovery funds from being used to relocate jobs from one state to another.

“The purpose of ARRA is to create or retain jobs, not to relocate them from state to state,” Brown wrote in his letter today to Secretary Locke. “Stimulus funds should not be used in a manner that benefits one local economy at the expense of another.”    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today issued the following statement on the passage of the Ohio Senate’s version of the State Operating Budget for Fiscal Years 2010-2011:

“The Ohio Senate has now had the opportunity to outline the priorities of the majority of the chamber. It is disappointing that Senate Republicans stripped the budget bill of the very proposals that will create jobs for Ohioans and promote lasting economic growth. The Senate rejected a transformational plan to better educate our students for success in the modern economy. And they rejected a series of innovative and inexpensive proposals that would provide 110,000 more Ohioans with access to affordable private health care.    » read more »

06/02/2009 -- PERRYSBURG, Ohio — While in Perrysburg with Gov. Ted Strickland today, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced that the U.S. Department of Labor has certified for release $88,169,529 in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization incentive funds for the state of Ohio. The state qualified for the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) by allowing workers to use their more recent earnings to qualify for benefits.

Ohio's approved application will be posted at the department's Employment and Training Administration Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/recovery.    » read more »

Senator Seeks Relief for Companies Affected by Chinese Tire Imports

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today testified before the International Trade Commission (ITC) on behalf of workers at Denman Tire Company in Leavittsburg and Cooper Tire in Findlay. Brown petitioned the ITC for relief from excessive imports of passenger car and light truck tires from China that have had an adverse impact on Ohio companies and workers. A copy of Brown’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, can be found below.

I appear before you today in support of the workers in my state and around the country whose jobs have been lost or are on the line due to a surge in imports of passenger and light truck tires made in China.    » read more »

New Federal Funds from Economic Recovery Package Will Provide Unemployment Insurance Benefits to Ohioans

June 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced today $88.2 million in new federal funds that will help unemployed Ohioans. The funds, passed as part of the economic recovery package, will provide unemployment insurance benefits to unemployed workers.

“Help for unemployed workers couldn’t come at a better time,” Brown said. “These funds will provide critical assistance to Ohio workers while stimulating the economy. They will be used to help unemployed Ohioans and their families make ends meet and will help displaced workers find new employment opportunities.”    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH), Co-Chair of the Senate Auto Caucus, today released the following statement on the General Motors bankruptcy:

“My heart goes out to the thousands of hard-working Americans associated with General Motors who are worried about their jobs and providing for their families as well as retirees worried about their retirement benefits.

"I am disappointed to hear that three Ohio facilities have been designated for closing, and I will work with my colleagues in the Senate and with the administration to ensure that auto workers and communities facing job losses receive assistance.    » read more »