H. R. 29
(By Mr. Speaker, Mr. Kiss, and Delegates Givens,
Martin, Varner, Ennis, Hutchins, Miller,
L. White and Pettit)
Requesting the Industries of the Future -- West Virginia (IOF-WV)
program to form industry working groups and to initiate
cooperative, jointly funded studies and projects of benefit to
West Virginia's aluminum, steel, glass, chemicals/polymers,
wood/forest products, and metal casting industries through
energy efficiency measures, waste minimization/utilization,
use of new technologies, and assistance with development of
value-added products.
Whereas, Over one half of West Virginia's manufacturing
employment is involved with the production of aluminum, steel,
glass, chemical/polymers, wood/forest products, and cast metals;
and
Whereas, Many West Virginia companies within these energy
intensive industry sectors are facing highly competitive domestic
producers, low-cost foreign imports, and increasingly stringent
environmental regulations; and
Whereas, Federal programs with multi million dollar budgets, such as the U.S. DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies Industries
of the Future program, have been created to facilitate and co-fund
industry groups, labor, and academic and government researchers to
work together on industry-led projects of long-term benefit to
entire industry sectors; and
Whereas, IOF-WV has made significant strides over the past year
in implementing cooperative projects; therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates
That (I) IOF-WV is a state-wide initiative without north-south
differences, business-labor conflicts, or urban-rural disparities;
(II) the target industry sectors identified in the national-level
IOF program -- aluminum, steel, glass, chemicals/polymers,
wood/forest products, metal casting, and mining are highly
important to the economy of the state; (III) the IOF-WV program has
an excellent fit with the goals of the West Virginia Development
Office; (IV) the IOF-WV program has an excellent fit with the goals
of the state's land-grant universities, i.e., research in service
to the state, education, and service; and (V) West Virginia was the
first state to start a state-level IOF programs; and, be it
Further Resolved, That IOF-WV work with relevant offices and
agencies to develop scenarios and technology requirements that will
likely be necessary for IOF-WV companies to be viable and globally
competitive in the year 2020; and be it
Further Resolved, That IOF-WV with the WVDO and other relevant
agencies and offices to develop potential strategies for attracting and developing within the state downstream, value-added
manufacturing operations for IOF-WV industry sectors; and, be it
Further Resolved, That IOF-WV report to the regular session of
the Legislature, 2000, on all such scenarios, technology
requirements, and strategic referred to above.