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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 28, 2014 02:43 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Julie Harhart |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Protection for Cement and Concrete Industries |
| Upon our return to session, I will be offering a resolution that will seek to protect Pennsylvania manufacturing jobs in our cement and concrete industries. Pennsylvania has a number of active cement plants and has rich heritage manufacturing cement. Jobs in this industry are good family sustaining jobs but these plants and businesses are threatened by a proposed cement plant in the Province of Quebec that will have a huge and potentially inappropriate subsidy from the provincial government. The legislature of Quebec has authorized a $250 million loan, a $100 million equity investment from the province’s private equity fund, $100 million in equity from a provincial pension fund and the Canadian Import/Export Bank is potentially going to commit another $100 million in loan guarantees for McInnis Cement to build a cement plant, of which the majority of the product will be shipped to the United States and could take a significant portion of the overall market. A large portion of the project, along with preferred pricing on electricity, will be subsidized by Quebec taxpayers. Without this public funding package it is unlikely the plant would be built. My resolution would express the House’s concern over this huge, taxpayer funded threat to Pennsylvania jobs directly to the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Michael Froman, and urge him to review this matter and see if there are any potential violations of world trade rules. Please consider joining with me in sponsoring this resolution. |
Introduced as HR1071