WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) to introduce legislation to examine how forthcoming clean energy legislation can create jobs and increase competiveness for manufacturing companies in Ohio.

“Done right, clean energy legislation can improve U.S. manufacturing competiveness and keep jobs in Ohio,” Brown said. “We need to ensure that we have the right data so that climate change legislation addresses the needs of manufacturers. Together, we can establish Ohio as the Silicon Valley of clean energy manufacturing.”

In April, Brown joined business, labor, and environmental leaders in Toledo to discuss how clean energy and climate change legislation can create new jobs and economic opportunities across Ohio. The roundtable, hosted at the headquarters of Owens-Illinois Inc., served as a catalyst for collaboration among business, labor, and environmental leaders from across Ohio. More information about the roundtable discussion that incorporated all three perspectives in strategizing how best to rebuild Ohio’s manufacturing base and stimulate growth can be found here.

The legislation introduced today by Sens. Brown and Bayh is a follow up to Brown’s Toledo roundtable. The bill would require the U.S. Secretary of Energy to conduct a study on how to improve the competiveness of energy-intensive manufacturing under future clean energy and climate change policy.
Brown has been working to build upon Ohio’s manufacturing heritage to create a new generation of clean energy jobs. Brown hosted a groundbreaking Clean Energy Summit that connected Ohio clean energy leaders and companies with federal resources. More information about the event and Brown’s announcement of nearly $1 million in new federal funds he secured with Sen. George Voinovich to create the Ohio Advanced Manufacturing Center can be found here.

Brown also recently introduced several pieces of legislation that would invest in developing Ohio’s clean manufacturing base. Brown joined a bipartisan group of eight senators to introduce The Restoring America’s Manufacturing Leadership through Energy Efficiency Act of 2009. More information about the bill that would create a financing mechanism for businesses that want to adopt new energy efficient technologies to cut costs, save and create jobs, and improve competitiveness can be found here. In addition, Brown’s Green Energy Production Act of 2009 would expand clean energy research and development to help build a clean energy manufacturing base in Ohio. More information can be found here

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